According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tony Kaye, the director who fought public battles with New Line Cinema and Edward Norton over the final cut of American History X in 1998, is about to embark on the supernatural thriller Reaper, his first feature since History, for producers Media 8 Entertainment.

"My intention is to redefine the genre", said Kaye, who is at the American Film Market promoting the project about a tortured man on his deathbed who is visited by the title character, a "messenger of death", who offers a chance at eternal life and time to find the man's kidnapped daughter.

"The film will be shot as two journeys", Kaye said, with the lead character's path shot on HD video and the title character's shot on film. The "trapped souls" in the film's dark netherworld will be portrayed in black and white with a multilayered soundscape.