Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible) has his next film and, surprisingly, it's not the World War Z sequel. Before getting into the tentpole world of zombies, the director will work in a smaller sandbox by adapting A Monster Calls, TheWrap reports.

The novel finds 13 year old Conor talking to a monster at night as a way of dealing with school bullies and his mom's terminal cancer. Patrick Ness penned the 2011 book based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, with artistic interpretations by Jim Kay.

"It is an incredible privilege to bring Patrick Ness’ exceptional book to the screen and I couldn't have imagined better partners joining me in this endeavor," Bayona said. "After The Orphanage and The Impossible, A Monster Calls is the perfect final chapter in a trilogy centered on the extraordinary strength of the mother-child bond."