EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Dean Morgan has landed the lead role in Screen Gems’ feature take on James Herbert’s horror novel Shrine, which Evan Spiliotopoulos is adapting and directing.

Shrine focuses on a disgraced journalist who discovers a series of seemingly divine miracles in a small New England town and uses them to resurrect his career, but the ‘miracles’ may have a much darker source.

Deadline exclusively broke the news about the project landing at Screen Gems last December with Spiliotopoulos and Ghost House’s Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert producing. Production will begin on Shrine in February. Ghost House previously worked with Morgan on 2012’s The Possession which made over $85M WW off a $14M budget. Romel Adam will oversee for Ghost House. Scott Strauss and Michael Bitar will oversee for Screen Gems.

Morgan’s TV credits include The Walking Dead, Grey’s Anatomy and Supernatural. On the big screen he played The Comedian in Warner Bros. The Watchmen ($185.2M WW B.O.),opposite Dwayne Johnson in New Line’s Rampage ($428M global), and in P.S. I Love You ($156.8M). Morgan is repped by United Talent Agency and attorney Stuart Rosenthal at Goodman Schenkman & Brecheen, LLP.