Mario Van Peebles has signed on to direct his sci-fi screenplay "The Uniter" reports Variety.

"The Uniter" chronicles the journey of a political fugitive who escapes from the future back to the present to teach a 13-year-old how to use his powers to unite the warring factions of the world before it's too late for planet Earth.

Van Peebles, who aims to begin shooting in January, has been developing the story for six years during travels and study of Aztec mythology.