Almost daily a young adult novel is being optioned or adapted by someone. Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne is the latest choice.  Brad Peyton is set to adapt and direct the film.

The project is a partnership between Reel FX and Strange Weather, which recently completed  Cirque du Soleil: World’s Away. Monument 14 is a dsytopian novel set during and after the apocalypse. A group of teens are trapped in a chain superstore, think Wal-mart, and experience all angst of being a teenager while trying to survive the end of the world. The humor is reminiscent of John Hughes while the post-apocalyptic elements are standard fare.

Brad Peyton, whose most recent work includes Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, is adapting and directing the project. According to Deadline.com Peyton said “As soon as I read the first chapter, I knew I wanted to do this movie.  It’s such a great concept and the kids felt real to me. The whole experience of living through the end of the world is an exciting one to try to capture on film, especially from such an original perspective.”

Strange Weather’s Aron Warner feels that Peyton is the perfect man for the job. “He instinctively knows how to balance the intimate and the epic elements that make this project so unique.”

With every studio looking for the next Hunger Games is Monument 14 it? The second book in the trilogy, Monument 14: Sky on Fire, is set for release June 2013.