Universal and Imagine have picked up the drama The Originals, written by Bryce Dallas Howard and writing partner Dane Charbeneau. Howard's father, Ron Howard, could come onboard as director, but no decisions have been made.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Originals is an ensemble film about a group of twentysomethings who reconvene for a weekend in New York after learning that the teacher who shaped their childhoods has fallen into a mysterious coma.

The idea for The Originals germinated a few years ago, when Howard, an actress with such films as The Village and Spider-Man 3 under her belt, took to the idea of writing something that tackled the quarter-life crisis issues her contemporaries were dealing with. She roped in Charbeneau and the two have been working on the script for the past couple of years, as Howard shot Terminator Salvation and gave birth to her son Theodore.

No production date has been set.