MUMBAI: Alan Poul is in final negotiations to direct Plan B for CBS Films. The announcement was made by CBS Films president and CEO Amy Baer.

The romantic comedy, which stars Jennifer Lopez, will begin filming in May. Slated to hit theaters in January, 2010, this will be CBS Films’ first release.

Poul is making his feature directing debut on the film. Over his 20-year career, the prolific director-producer has received an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe and three Peabody Awards. For five seasons he was executive producer of HBO’s Emmy-winning Six Feet Under.

Last year, he executive produced and directed the pilot of CBS’s provocative 1970s-era drama Swingtown. In 2003, Poul was nominated for both a directing Emmy and a Directors Guild Award for the Six Feet Under episode, Nobody Sleeps. Poul has also directed multiple episodes of HBO’s historical epic Rome and polygamous family drama Big Love.

Written by Kate Angelo, Plan B centers on a single woman (Lopez) who turns to artificial insemination to answer her ticking clock… only to see her back-up plan turned on its side when the man of her dreams shows up at the same time as her positive pregnancy test results. Casting for the male lead is currently underway.

"Alan’s impressive body of work reflects his ability to depict relatable characters in unexpected circumstances," says Baer. "Kate’s script combines laugh-out-loud physical humor with genuine emotion. We think Alan’s fresh vision is the perfect match to Kate’s fresh voice."

Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch will produce through their Escape Artists banner.