Having found yet another fresh angle on the cop drama with End Of Watch, David Ayer is currently pulling Arnold Schwarzenegger thriller Ten through post-production. But he’s had time to work up another script, locking down a deal to direct World War II tank pic Fury.

The title comes from the tank itself, a five-man beast of a vehicle fighting through Germany as the Nazi regime collapses in 1945. Despite its leadership crumbling, the German Army continues to be a big threat, and the crew of the tank face real challenges.

Real seems to be the watchword for Ayer here, who appears to be looking to do for the war genre what he’s previously done for police stories. In a statement picked up by Deadline, he explains that his idea is to “bring a fresh execution to the genre. What these men went through is worthy of a complex, honest portrayal. This will have incredible, visceral action and complex rich characters. I plan to bring tank combat to life in a way that lands with a modern audience.”

QED International has stumped up the money to buy the script and start selling rights. Ayer aims to be shooting in the autumn. Meanwhile, he still has to finish Ten, which sees Schwarzenegger as the leader of a DEA squad that tries to rob a drug lord’s stash, only to be picked off one by one as greed consumes the group. It’s set for a January 2014 release in the States, and will likely arrive here shortly after.