HOLLYWOOD NEWS

March 19, 2007–Michael Bay is attached to reteam with writing-producing duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci on sci-fi project “2012,” based on author Whitley Strieber's upcoming book of the same name, for Warner Bros. The story follows an academic researcher who opens a portal into a parallel universe and makes contact with his double in order to stop an apocalypse foreseen by the ancient Mayans.

Kurtzman and Orci, who wrote Bay's upcoming DreamWorks tentpole “Transformers” and brought the director aboard “2012,” will produce. Warners grabbed the film rights to Strieber's book on Friday and continues negotiations with Orci, Kurtzman and Bay.

Bay is in post with “Transformers.” His last film was “The Island.”

Kurtzman and Orci are the writers on J.J. Abrams' upcoming “Star Trek” for Paramount. “2012″ is set to begin lensing this fall, resurrecting the lucrative franchise.

Strieber has several projects set up at other studios, including Sony's adaptation of his “The Grays,” which Cary Brokaw is producing and scribe Ken Nolan adapting. His tome “The Day After Tomorrow” was the inspiration for Fox's film of the same name.