Just as she did for Natalie Baszile’s novel Queen Sugar, prolific filmmaker Ava DuVernay is bringing Octavia Butler’s science fiction novel Dawn to television.

Dawn is set 250 years after a nuclear apocalypse and the near extermination of the human race. In the novel, the last survivors are rescued by an alien species and kept in suspended animation on an Earth-like spaceship. The story centers around Lilith Iyapo, a Black woman, who is the first to be awakened. She is chosen to lead her people into an uncertain future. Lilith must either adapt or die, but survival just might be at the cost of humanity.

DuVernay has teamed up with Charles D. King’s Macro Ventures and acclaimed director/writer Victoria Mahoney to bring Dawn to life. Mahoney will write the script with King and DuVernay executive producing the project.

The late novelist is often referred to as the “grande dame of science fiction.” She was the first science fiction writer to win a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship. This will be the first time the award-winning author’s work has been adapted for television.

Dawn adds yet another project to DuVernay’s already packed schedule. She is currently working on a Central Park Five miniseries for Netflix, her Disney film A Wrinkle in Time will hit theaters in 2018 and OWN recently renewed Queen Sugar for a third season.