Fox has found a director for its upcoming reboot of the 1988 sci-fi buddy cop film “Alien Nation.”

Deadline reports “Midnight Special” director Jeff Nichols is nearing a to both write and direct the film.

Starring James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, the original served as an allegory for race relations, positioning the alien "Newcomers" as the latest immigrants to the United States after crashing of Earth while escaping the cruel Overseers that had enslaved them. Caan played a racist Los Angeles cop who's forced to partner with Patinkin’s alien detective to solve a homicide.

“Alien Nation” spawned a 1989 TV series that starred Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint in the role originated by Caan and Patinkin. The series lasted just one season, but Fox ended up making five TV movies with the same cast. The final one, "Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy," aired in 1997.

With “Midnight Special” and the Matthew McConaughey-starring drama “Mud,” Nichols has solidified himself as the one of Hollywood's top young filmmakers. His latest film, the civil rights drama “Loving,” hits theaters in October.