Hayden Christensen – last seen pimping some sort of aftershave; an act which would have Yoda shaking his head in dismay – has signed on to do some proper acting in the supernatural thriller, Vanishing On Seventh Street.
The once and former Anakin Skywalker would play a reporter, one of five survivors trying to stay alive in a city where shadowy forms have mysteriously abducted the rest of the population.
Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo are in talks to join the movie, which will be directed by the impressive Brad Anderson. Newton would play a nurse, Leguizamo a subway operator.
Anderson, of course, directed the enormously creepy and atmospheric horrors, The Machinist and Session 9, and can manipulate mood with the best of them. So we expect Vanishing On Seventh Street to be plenty unsettling.
It’s going to be interesting to see how far removed it is from its obvious antecedent, Invasion Of The Bodysnatchers – apparently, though, the survivors also grapple with the meaning of life itself, so perhaps there’s an existential thread running through this, too, that could set it apart.
Anderson co-wrote the script, along with Anthony Jaswinski. Filming on the indie flick will start this October, in Detroit.