Universal announced on Wednesday that acclaimed TV director Michelle McLaren has signed on to direct the upcoming adaptation of “Cowboy Ninja Viking,” based on the Image Comics graphic novel by AJ Lieberman and illustrator Riley Rossmo.

Slated for release on June 28, 2019, “Cowboy Ninja Viking” stars Chris Pratt as an assassin who is trained in the skills of cowboys, ninjas, and vikings. MacLaren joins the project after directing and producing on some of the most acclaimed shows of the last few years, including “Game of Thrones,” “Westworld,” “The Walking Dead.”

Also Read: 'I'll Never Let Any Woman Direct Me': 11 Female Directors Recount Sexism and Discrimination (Guest Blog)

MacLaren was also a director and executive producer for “Breaking Bad,” earning a DGA Award nomination as well as Golden Globe and Emmy wins for her work on the famed AMC series. “Cowboy Ninja Viking” is the second feature film MacLaren is attached to direct, as she will make her feature film directorial debut with TriStar’s adaptation of the Kristin Hannah novel “The Nightingale,” due out January 2019.

Pratt will produce with Entertainment 360, the production arm of Management 360, Mark Gordon via The Mark Gordon Company, Michael De Luca for Michael De Luca Productions.

Vice President of Production Sara Scott will oversee production on behalf of Universal. Pratt is represented by UTA, Rise Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern, LLP. MacLaren is represented by ICM Partners and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher, LLP.

Every Female Director Nominated for an Oscar, From Lina Wertmuller to Greta Gerwig (Photos)

The Academy has only nominated five women in the Best Director category in its storied history. Here they are.
Lina Wertmuller, "Seven Beauties" (1976) • The first woman ever nominated in the category was this Italian director for a drama about an Italian solider who deserted the army during WWII and is sent a German prison camp. She lost to John G. Avildsen for "Rocky."
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Jane Campion, "The Piano" (1993) • The Australian director won an Oscar for her original screenplay for the period drama but lost the directing prize to Steven Spielberg for "Schindler's List."
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Sofia Coppola, "Lost in Translation" (2003) • The daughter of Oscar-winning "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola picked up her first nomination for the quiet Japan-set character study, but lost to Peter Jackson for "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."
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Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker" (2009) • Bigelow not only scored a nomination, but managed to defeat her ex-husband James Cameron, whose "Avatar" scored Best Picture.
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Greta Gerwig, "Lady Bird" (2017) • The indie actress wrote and directed this feature, her first as solo director, based on her upbringing in Pasadena, Calif. But Guillermo del Toro took the prize for "The Shape of Water."
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“Lady Bird” writer-director last year became only the fifth woman nominated by the Academy in the directing category

The Academy has only nominated five women in the Best Director category in its storied history. Here they are.

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