Shawn Levy may be looking for a whole new tone - he's agreed to tackle Real Steel for DreamWorks.

The man who can usually be found pumping out comedies like Night At The Museum and Cheaper By The Dozen has signed on with DreamWorks to take a stab at a futuristic tale of brawling 'bots.

It's set a few years from now, in a world where human boxing is outlawed and humanoid droids fight it out. A father and his estranged teenaged son bond over training one of the compu-combatants.

It's a case of Peter Berg's loss - he's dropped out to focus on Battleship - is Levy's gain, though unless he plans to turn it into a high-tech farce, it'll be a real challenge for him to step up his game.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Shawn on this project," DreamWorks Stacey Snider gushes to The Hollywood Reporter.

"He's a master of combining heart and human stories with fantastic visuals. I'm sure that in his capable hands, Real Steel will be a film that touches and excites all audiences."

If you like monkeys slapping Ben Stiller, that is. Oh, okay… the Museum films both made loads of money.

But he will have one extra big layer to his support system - executive producer Steven Spielberg looking over his shoulder.

"Steven's passion for this project was absolutely infectious and I'm so excited to bring this story to life," Levy says. "In a movie filled with these mechanical warriors, at its core Real Steel is an incredibly human story."

Just skip the slapstick, eh, Shawn?

[Source: THR]

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