Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of the Mexican film ''Biutiful'', smiles during preparations for the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of the Mexican film ''Biutiful'', smiles during preparations for the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 25, 2011. Reuters

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is attached to direct Warner Bros.' "The Revenant," a revenge story set in the 1800s, an individual close to project confirmed to TheWrap.

The director of "Biutiful" and "Babel", Inarritu gravitates toward foreboding, character-driven stories. And this qualifies.

In "The Revenant," a fur trapper is mauled by a bear. The captain of his ship tries to carry him back to civilization, but the terrain is impossible, and he can't do it. So the captain hires two men to stay behind and bury him after he dies.

Instead of making his last days comfortable, the men rob him and leave to die alone in the cold. He survives and heads off to seek his revenge.

The movie is based on Michael Punke's novel. Mark L. Smith wrote the screenplay. Akiva Goldsman is producing via his Weed Road Pictures.

TheWrap's sister publication ItsontheGrid contributed to this report.