EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate won an auction for 16 States, a thriller scripted by John Requa & Glenn Ficarra (Jungle Cruise This is Us), to be directed by Fede Alvarez, who helmed the genre hits Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead.

They are keeping plot tight, but think road trip during a zombie pandemic. Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon are producing with Zaftig Films’ Requa, Ficarra and Charlie Gogolak. Bad Hombre’s Alvarez, Shintaro Shimosawa and Rodolfo Sayagues are also producing.

Package got competitive but Lionsgate film group’s Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane and Erin Westerman have a strong history with Alvarez. Drake and Kahane produced Alvarez’ Don’t Breathe and Evil Dead, when they were partners with Sam Raimi at Ghost House. Westerman was an executive producer on Don’t Breathe. And Lionsgate marketing chief Damon Wolf oversaw the Don’t Breathe campaign that helped turn that film into a sleeper hit at Screen Gems. Aaron Janus is overseeing the film for Lionsgate along with Scott O’Brien and biz affairs exec veep Bonnie Stylides oversaw the deal for the studio.

Alvarez is repped by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.