Fox 2000 has set Matt Reeves (Let Me In, Cloverfield) to direct The Passage, the film based on the bestselling Justin Cronin novel about an experiment that goes awry and creates a swarm of bloodthirsty vampires that brings the world to the brink of extinction, reports Deadline. Fox acquired the book in 2007 for north of $3 million right after Cronin made a 3-book deal with Ballantine for $3.75 million based on the first 400 pages of the book and an outline for a novel series.

“In ‘The Passage’, a group of terminally ill cancer patients get healthy after being subjected to the bites of bats in South America. Naturally, the government see this as a cure for the disease and starts experimenting. They end up with a legion of nearly indestructible, telepathic vampire masters that begin infecting the populace.” The tone is closer to 28 Days Later and “The Stand” than Let The Right One In or Twilight Saga.

Reeves will supervise a rewrite of a script done by John Logan.

Reeves will also adapt a film based on the Ray Nelson short story “8 O’Clock in the Morning” for Universal, about a man who awakens to realize he and others are being controlled by aliens. It’s a quasi-remake of They Live.