Jason Bateman to direct supernatural western The Pinkerton for Bad Robot

The plot of "The Pinkertons" is totally secret, but the title is reminiscent of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, America's first IP team which began in 1850. The Pinkertons certainly have a long and feature-worthy - though not particularly supernatural - history. Founded by Allan Pinkerton, the agency is perhaps best known for foiling an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln, when Kate Warne thwarted a possible plan to assassinate the president-elect on the train ride to his own inauguration. . At one point the Pinkertons were known for their progressive hiring tactics as they employed women and people of color as spies, but at other times the company did some dirty union-busting work.

It's worth noting that there doesn't seem to be any confirmation yet that "The Pinkerton" is related to the notorious PI company, and given Bad Robot's history of secrecy (see : the "Cloverfield" franchise), we may not know what to expect from the movie for a while. Jason Bateman's presence doesn't reveal much either, given that the actor-filmmaker has done such disparate projects as "Ozark," "Arrested Development" and "Family Matters." His two directorial features to date, “Bad Words” and “The Family Fang,” are both black comedies.

Bateman is also set to produce "The Pinkerton" alongside Michael Costigan, while Abrams and Hannah Minghella will produce. Bad Robot also has many other projects in the works right now, from a Hot Wheels movie to a "Speed ​​Racer" show. Last June, a spanner was thrown into the company's partnership with Warner Bros. when news broke that Abrams' ambitious sci-fi series "Demimonde" was ultimately not going to move forward with HBO.

"The Pinkerton" does not yet have a release date.