Director Ken Kwapis tracks down "Whales"

LOS ANGELES – Ken Kwapis is in final negotiations to direct "Everybody Loves Whales," a family film with an environmental theme.

The film will tell the story of three California gray whales that were found trapped under the ice of the Arctic Circle in October 1988. The subsequent rescue attempt became a global event as scores of journalists converged on the nearby Eskimo town of Barrow, Alaska, and the U.S. and Soviet governments enjoyed a rare moment of collaboration.

In addition to the rescue attempt, the script by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler centers on a love story between a nonprofit aid worker and a journalist.

The Warner Bros. project is being produced by Anonymous Content's Steve Golin and Michael Sugar.

Kwapis last directed "He's Just Not That Into You," the ensemble romantic comedy that grossed almost $94 million. He also directed "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."

Kwapis made his name directing television comedy series. Among the episodes he helmed are pilots for "The Larry Sanders Show" and "The Bernie Mac Show," and "Gay Witch Hunt," the third-season premiere of NBC's "The Office, for which he won an Emmy.