Huace Pictures and Arclight Films is pushing ahead with its all-new action thriller Lights Out, and according to Variety, the studios have tapped none other than Brian De Palma to take the reins of the genre piece.
Acting as the director’s first foray behind the lens in almost three years, Lights Out bears semblance to Marvel’s Daredevil comic in some ways in that it orbits around a young and blind Chinese girl who inadvertently becomes embroiled in a clandestine assassination program. Granted, it’s not as though this protagonist actively indulges in vigilantism, but that mixture of urban crime and an inherently vulnerable lead character is certainly rich in potential.
Tailored to be a Chinese production from the ground up, Variety notes that casting is currently underway to find an A-list star to step into the shoes of our heroine. It’ll act as the first motion picture to be created under Aurora Alliance Films, which is designed to be a joint business venture between the Chinese-based Huace production company and Arclight, a company situated in Los Angeles.
As such, De Palma – revered for his work on Scarface, Mission: Impossible and The Untouchables among others – has been recruited for an international affair, and here’s the official press release welcoming the esteemed director to the project.
“We’re excited and honored to be working with one of the great living film directors, Brian De Palma, on ‘Lights Out,’” said Ying Ye, Managing Director of Aurora Alliance Films. “De Palma is a proven master of suspense; in the hands of the legendary director, ‘Lights Out’ promises to be a thriller for the ages, full of empowering messages, harrowing plot turns and great action sequences.”
Lights Out is currently incubating in pre-production at the time of writing, though we imagine that it won’t take too long before the cameras are rolling once that coveted female lead has been filled.