Genetic manipulation is becoming the new overused cliché for science fiction. No longer content just to deal with contorted time travel tales and reports of rogue robots (yes, I’m in an alliterative mood today), the concept of splicing human DNA, particularly by combining it with animal DNA, has become quite popular. From Batman Beyond to Bioshock, it’s becoming quite the trend.

Vincenzo Natali’s next picture, Splicers makes no effort to hide its use of the plot device in its story. The movie stars Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley as two scientists who gain a celebrity status after creating a new species by splicing human and animal DNA. Unfortunately, it looks like the duo face the same potential consequences as Doctor Moreau when their accomplishment turns out to be not so perfect.

Slated for a 2009 release, the distribution rights have been picked up by Senator Entertainment for North America, Germany, and Spain, according to Variety. Senator isn’t a huge distributor, with The Informers, Fireflies in the Garden, and the unseen All the Boys Love Mandy Lane as their primary recent releases. That’s actually not a great sign for Splicers. If Billy Bob Thornton and Willem Dafoe dramas couldn’t get larger releases, what chance does an Adrien Brody sci-fi picture have? Despite being protégé to Guillermo del Toro, Natali’s name probably isn’t big enough to draw too many people into theaters.

We’ll see what kind of a shot Splicers winds up having. I’m curious to hear more about the project, even if the major plot device is becoming a bit overused in the past few years.