“Westworld” star Luke Hemsworth has come on board as the lead in Beyond Casual Media’s sci-fi drama “Encounter.”

Shooting will commence in Georgia later this month. Paul J. Salamoff will make his feature film debut from his own script, inspired the television series “The Twilight Zone.”

The story will center on a group of friends making a remarkable discovery in a rural field — a crashed spacecraft with a survivor. When they bring the otherworldly being home, they soon discover that it holds even greater secrets than they could imagine. But with the government on their tail, time is running out to ascertain the alien’s true intentions.

“The world of ‘Encounter’ is a nod back to classic sci-fi movies of the ’70s and ’80s,” said Salamoff. “Its fresh approach offers a new twist on science fiction’s strengths of exploring very human themes of loss, grief in an unexpected and thought-provoking way.”

The cast includes Anna Hutchison, Tom Atkins, Glenn Keogh, Vincent M. Ward, Cheryl Texiera and Christopher Showerman.

Salamoff began his career as a make-up FX artist on over 40 films. The film also marks the debut feature for the Augusta-based Beyond Casual Media, headed by Amy Bailey.

Worldwide sales and distribution for “Encounter” is being handled by Lightning Entertainment.