Allison Janney has landed the lead role in the thriller “Lou,” a project being set up at J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot Productions, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Anna Foerster (“Underworld: Blood Wars,” “Outlander”) will direct the dramatic thriller from a script by Maggie McGowan Cohn, with a revision by Jack Stanley. Abrams is producing with Braden Aftergood.
In the film, a tough elderly woman living on a remote island is recruited by a neighbor to help her find her kidnaped daughter. Janney will play a rule-breaking woman with a tough shell and abilities as a tracker.
“Lou” was previously set up at Paramount but went into turnaround. Now Bad Robot eyes a spring 2019 start with the company raising financing independently.
Janney recently joined an indie black comedy alongside Laura Dern to be directed by Tate Taylor, “Breaking News in Yuba County.” She also recently won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for “I, Tonya” and is also currently filming Cory Finley’s “Bad Education.”
Janney is represented by Gersh and Thruline.
THR was first to report.