It’s just days after Legendary announced its King Kong prequel, Skull Island, at Comic-Con, and the wheels already appear to be in motion with regards to securing a director.

Deadline reports that the studio has Joe Cornish in its sights, with the director having received an official offer to take the helm on the new project.

Given that Cornish has turned down a number of big-budget projects of late, it remains to be seen whether he says yes to this one, although surely the property’s cult status will appeal to his inner fanboy, at least on some level…

The report also reveals that the new film will be written by Max Borenstein, who previously penned the script for Legendary’s Godzilla update, and will focus on Kong’s origins on the titular island that time forgot.

Whether or not Cornish accepts, Legendary has already confirmed a US release date of 4 November 2016 for this one, so expect a directorial appointment to be made sooner rather than later.