EXCLUSIVE: Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) and Craig Robinson (The Office) are set to star in writer-director Ana Lily Amirpour’s (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night) third feature Blood Moon, which is being produced by Oscar-winner John Lesher (Birdman) via his Le Grisbi banner.

Zac Efron is in talks to join the intriguing fantasy feature, which will chart the story of a girl with strange and dangerous abilities who escapes from a mental asylum in New Orleans. CAA Media Finance and Rocket Science will be selling to buyers at the AFM.

Set in hedonistic streets of New Orleans, the film is inspired by fantasy-adventure movies of the ’80s and ’90s. It is understood to pair strange, violent, and humorous sequences with a range of music from heavy metal to Italian techno. Production is set to begin in spring 2019.

Lesher said, “Lily’s unique vision and poetic style sets her apart from the pack. She is truly one of the most exciting filmmakers working today.”

Amirpour blasted onto the scene in 2014 with her vampire debut A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. She followed that up with desert-set fever dream The Bad Batch, which won the Special Jury Price at the 2016 Venice Film Festival. She recently directed the UCP pilot Briarpatch for executive producer Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot), plus episodes of Noah Hawley’s Legion, Bad Robot’s Castle Rock, and Jordan’s Peele’s upcoming reimagining of The Twilight Zone for CBS All Access.

She is represented by CAA and Alan Wertheimer; Hudson by CAA and Untitled Entertainment; Efron by CAA and Alchemy Entertainment; and Robinson by UTA and 3 Arts Entertainment.