Doug Liman says he is always looking for film projects that are a little different.
Liman is set to return to the director's chair later this year with Edge of Tomorrow; which is a big screen adaptation of the novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka.
And Liman says this is a film that brings together a whole host of different genres.
Speaking Empire, he said: "I look for projects that have a big commercial hook but at the same time create a situation where there can be an interesting exploration of character.
"If Warner Bros wants to make just a fun of the mill alien invasion film, they're not going to come to me. But here's this alien invasion film that's also a time travel movie that's also a love story. So there's no film out there that we can point to (that's like this).
"The Bridge On The River Kwai is the closet thing I have to a movie that I've studied before making this - and this has nothing to do with The Bridge On The River Kwai."
Edge of Tomorrow is the first directorial outing for Liman since Fair Game, as he teams up with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt for the first time.
Edge of Tomorrow is released 30th May
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