I must confess, before hearing this news, I wasn’t familiar with the name Melissa Rosenberg. After a quick skim of her résumé, I realised both why I wasn’t and that I probably should have been.

Her first major writing big-screen break came with her part on the team to write the Step Up screenplay, and the trajectory of her career almost immediately sky-rocketed after that, writing the screenplay for Twilight, and all of its sequels, including the forthcoming two parts of Breaking Dawn.

Clearly, given the popularity of both the Step Up and the Twilight franchise, Rosenberg is a very sought after writer and now her latest project has just been announced. THR are reporting that Rosenberg has signed on to write and produce for Paramount an adaptation of the 1983 young adult sci-fi novel, Earthseed, written by Pamela Sargent. The film will be the launch of her new production company, Tall Girl Prods.

The sci-fi novel sees a project called Ship, created as a final attempt to save humanity, sent into space in the hopes of finding a new planet on which to settle. Upon this Ship are the means necessary to recreate an Earth-like simulated environment, called Hollow, in which a newly-created group of young children live, tested in order to gain the skills sufficient to survive on the new planet. The children begin to divide against each other, and everything spirals downwards from there.

If it sounds a little like Lord of the Flies to you too, you aren’t alone. Rosenberg herself has said,

“It really talks about the debate of nature vs. nurture, what is innately human and what can be bred in or out of someone. There’s a Lord of the Flies element to it. It involves a young woman who starts off as someone who is content with playing by the rules and being a “good girl,’ and then has to realize that the rules are malleable and that she has to step forward as a leader. It’s really about coming into one’s own power and embracing one’s own strength and individuality.”

Sargent has since gone on to write two follow-up novels to Earthseed, with Farseed in 2007 and Seed Seeker in 2010 completing the trilogy. Provided Earthseed is turned into a successful movie, there is every reason to expect that it Farseed and Seed Seeker will both get the film treatment in years to come.

Speaking about her take on the film, Rosenberg says,

“What I want for Tall Girls is to be creating great, strong roles for women, but in four-quadrant, high-concept movies. Not movies for women in the traditional sense but more interesting, intriguing, complex roles—and kickass women, as well. That is definitely this book.”

After what Twilight has done for Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson’s careers, a successful Earthseed franchise could well be the launching platform for a new generation of emerging young stars. I only hope that they’ll also have killer soundtracks, because whilst I’m yet to see any of the Twilight films, I love the musical contributions to them from Paramore and Muse.