News: Rising Screenwriters Set to Write "San Andreas" Sequel

Screenwriters Neil Widener and Gavin James have signed to write the sequel to the Dwayne Johnson-led earthquake disaster film San Andreas at New Line.

The original grossed $473 million worldwide last year and was the biggest hit of 2015 for Warner Bros. Pictures.

The sequel is said to expand the disaster locales to a global scale, focusing on the Ring of Fire which circles the Pacific Ocean with fault lines and volcanoes and is home to most of the world's earthquakes.

Brad Peyton is returning to direct, Beau Flynn is returning to produce, and actors Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario and Paul Giamatti are all expected to return along with Johnson. Johnson's production banner, Seven Bucks Productions, will produce in some capacity.

Widener and James are rising writers who a year ago sold Verona, a reimagining of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet with Joe Roth attached to produce, to Sony. More recently they set up the true-story drama Battle for Alcatraz at Paramount with Bridge of Spies' Matt Charman producing.

They are repped by CAA, Grandview and attorney Greg Slewett.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter