Paramount Players has signed “Black Panther” actor Winston Duke to star in its action-thriller “Heroine.”

Dan Casey will direct “Heroine” from his own script about a young mother on the run who moves to a new city in search of a clean start, only to realize that a mysterious and enigmatic new neighbor may in fact be a profoundly dangerous criminal. Duke will play the neighbor, a dark and seemingly tragic figure at the start who turns out to be much more than we expect.

“Heroine” is being produced by Matt Kaplan through his Ace Entertainment production company, which has a first-look deal with Paramount Players. A spring shoot for “Heroine” is being planned.

Duke portrayed the villainous M’Baku in Marvel’s “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War.” Duke is also attached to star in Jordan Peele’s horror film “Us” along with Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker.

Duke is a native of Trinidad and Tobago. Prior to scoring the M’Baku role, he appeared on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Person of Interest,” “Major Crimes,” and “Modern Family.” Casey wrote the script for Lionsgate’s recent sci-fi thriller “Kin,” adapted from the short film “Bag Man.”

Duke is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson. His casting was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.