Jennifer Connelly has signed on and Kathy Bates is in negotiations to star in Fox's remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" reports the trades.

The story kicks off as aliens land on Earth carrying a message for all humans: Live in peace or be destroyed.

Keanu Reeves is already committed to the Scott Derrickson-directed sci-fi tale. Connelly is set to portray Helen Benson, the role Patricia Neal played in the 1951 original.

Shooting begins this December in Vancouver.