Oren Peli taps director for FilmNation pic

EXCLUSIVE: "Paranormal Activity" creator Oren Peli has tapped commercials helmer Brad Parker to direct the untitled FilmNation genre project he's producing with Brian Witten.Peli wrote the script, which follows a group of friends who become stranded in a ghost town overrun by nature where they discover they're not alone.Project will be the first film to be fully financed by Glen Basner's FilmNation, which is also handling international sales. CAA and Linda Lichter are repping North American rights for the pic.Parker began his career in the early 1990s as an animator and art director at MTV, where he co-founded the company's digital animation lab. He joined Digital Domain in 1998 to work on visual effects for "Fight Club," "xXx" and "We Own the Night." During his tenure at Digital Domain, Parker collaborated with helmers such as Noam Murro and Mark Romanek, who tapped him as VFX supervisor for the Steven Spielberg-produced TV pilot "Locke & Key." Parker currently works for Bob Industries, where he's directed spots for Nike, Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts and several auto manufacturers. In addition to serving as 2nd unit director on Matt Reeves' vampire pic "Let Me In," Parker most recently directed ads for Molson Beer and Panasonic HDTV.Parker is repped by Paradigm and attorney Darren Trattner. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com