Oscar winner Russell Crowe is boarding a new untitled Miramax supernatural thriller that will mark the directorial debut of Joshua John Miller and M.A. Fortin (Final Girls, Queen of the South). They’ll direct from their original script.

In the project, Crowe plays a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a horror film. His estranged daughter wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play.

This is the first project to come through Miramax’s deal with producer Kevin Williamson. The first-look pact, inked early last year, was made to leverage and enhance Miramax’s genre film content. Williamson, whose credits include the Scream franchise, TV’s The Following and The Vampire Diaries, produces here through his Outerbanks banner along with Head of Production, Ben Fast. Miramax’s Bill Block will also produce.

A year ago with Blumhouse and Universal, Miramax had the Halloween reboot which became the highest-grossing film in the 41-year-old franchise with $255.4 million worldwide. The sequels Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends will respectively open on October 16, 2020 and October 15, 2021. David Gordon Green will direct both installments with Jamie Lee Curtis starring.

“Bill and I are so excited to work with Russell, one of the greatest actors of our time,” said Williamson. “Fortin and Miller have such a fresh vision for this film, we know that together they will create something terrifying and memorable.”

Miller and Fortin are repped by CAA. Crowe and Williamson are repped by WME. Tom Zadra negotiated deal on behalf of Miramax.

Crowe recently starred in The True History of the Kelly Gang which IFC acquired out of the Toronto Film Festival about Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee authorities during the 1870s. He also recently played late Fox News boss Roger Ailes in Showtime’s The Loudest Voice, and he recently wrapped Soltice Studios’ Unhinged which is due out on August 28, 2020.