EXCLUSIVE: Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has been set topline The Silencing, a thriller to be directed by Taboo helmer Anders Engstom based on Micah Ranum’s Nicholl Fellowship-winning script. A fall production start in Europe is in the works for the pic being produced by Anova Pictures’ Cybill Lui and executive produced by XYZ Films. XYZ will also handle global sales and co-rep U.S. rights with Endeavor Content at the Cannes market that gets underway this week.

The plot centers on a reformed hunter who becomes involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse when he sets out to track a vicious killer who may have kidnapped his daughter years ago.

“The Silencing is a visceral thriller filled with complex characters, each with a dark past beridden with guilt,” Lui said. “I’m delighted to have XYZ Films present this at Cannes, and thrilled to work with the uber-talented Anders in making his English-language feature debut. From his work on Taboo to the Finnish franchise Vares, Anders consistently delivers striking visuals combined with intense performances. I’m sure his vision for Nikolaj’s hunt for the killer will keep us on the edge of our seats.”

On the film side, Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister on HBO’s Game of Thrones, most recently starred in the Ric Roman Waugh-directed Shot Caller. Engstrom most recently helmed BBC One and FX’s Taboo starring Tom Hardy and his TV credits include Wallander.

The pic joins XYZ’s Cannes market slate that includes the Lily Collins-starrer Titan, Vivarium with Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, and the festival’s Midnight section pic Arctic. It also has Nicolas Cage’s Mandy playing in Directors’ Fortnight.

Coster-Waldau is repped by WME, Engstrom by Gersh and United Agents, and Ranum by CAA and Antonio D’Intino.