Gerardo Naranjo’s stock in Hollywood continues to rise…

The 40-year-old Mexican filmmaker has just inked a deal with Focus Features to direct A Man Must Die.

Naranjo—who helmed Miss Bala, Mexico’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission—wrote the script for the project. The film is described as a political thriller comparable to the critically acclaimed Carlos.

The news comes as 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment continue to develop the film adaptation of Charles Martin’s novel The Mountain Between Us for Naranjo to direct, with Michael Fassbender attached to star.