Aliens are coming to Earth. The fate of the world depends on a small band of people who must fight the battle of their lives. At least, that’s what the first draft says anyway.

Amazon has optioned a new science-fiction thriller about an alien invasion called “Orbit.” Bruce Guido, the project’s writer, says he’s now working on the first draft. He reports his efforts are simply a labor of “love.”

“Orbit emerged out my love for the alien invasion genre, a genre which I have adored my entire life. When it comes to what may happen if aliens wander into our neighborhood, the possibilities are infinite.”

Guido says his new project centers around a band of workers orbiting the Earth. From a distance, the group witnesses as aliens try to take over the world by force. Powerless and afraid, the salvage crew must figure out how to intercede in time before all is lost. He says what makes his sci-fi story a little different from the more run-of-the-mill features is all a matter of perspective.

“As I was looking at a photo of Earth, sitting lonely against a sea of black, it just hit me — what if the story was told outside of Earth? … What if we experienced worldwide destruction from the point of view of characters that are isolated, watching from the outside? What would it be like to see our home, our loved ones, everyone we’ve ever known, annihilated from a distance with us powerless to stop it?”

Guido has had a bit of prior success with his unique vision before. “Third Shift,” a story about a depressed vampire, who works at a convenience store, won him honorable mention at the 2010 Los Angeles Reel Film Festival. Amazon says they anticipate great things from the up-and-coming filmmaker.

“While it’s a contained story involving only a handful of characters, the scope and stakes of the movie are enormous. This is a movie about the end of the world, but it’s played out entirely with a cast of six people.”