BlackfishdirectorGabriela Cowperthwaiteis leaving behind real-life scandal for made-up drama. She’s set to helmThe Search, a2014 Black Listsurvival thriller bySpencer Mondshein. Find all the details on the Gabriela CowperthwaiteThe Searchdeal after the jump.Varietyreported on Cowperthwaite’s plans to makeThe Search. The story follows an experienced tracker on a mission to rescue his estranged older brother, who has sustained potentially fatal wounds while exploring the uncharted wilderness of the Northwest. On the way, the tracker struggles with some inner demons of his own.

Voltage Pictures picked up Mondshein’s screenplay in January. It was the first script sale for Mondshein, who previously worked as a location assistant on HBO’sBoardwalk Empire. Voltage’sNicolas Chartier(The Hurt Locker) andCraig J. Flores(300) will produce with Busted Shark’sSherryl Clark(Cloverfield).Babcar DieneandBill Kareshwill oversee the project for Voltage and Busted Shark respectively.

Cowperthwaite’sBlackfishexposed the cruel treatment of killer whales in captivity, focusing on one particular animal named Tilikum. The controversy it sparked was immediate and impactful:Blackfishsent SeaWorld’s stock and attendance rates plummeting, inspired animal safety bills in California and New York, and convinced the upcoming filmsFinding DoryandPaper Townstomake plot changes.

Besides that, Cowperthwaite earned excellent reviews forBlackfishfrom pretty much everyone but SeaWorld. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it made its world premiere. In all, it earned about $2 million at the box office.

Prior toBlackfish, Cowperthwaite directed the documentaryCity Lax: An Urban Lacrosse Storyand produced episodes of the History Channel documentary showsShootout!andWild West Tech.The Searchwill be Cowperthwaite’s narrative feature debut.

No start date or release date has been announced forThe Search, but since it’s her next film we can probably expect her to get started sooner rather than later.