There must be something in the cold mountain air of Park City that attracts the brightest young female talents. Just look at the recent track record of the Sundance Film Festival unveiling the newest Hollywood It girls: two years ago it was Carey Mulligan in “An Education,” last year it was Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone” and this year, from all reports, it’s the younger sister of the Olsen twins, Elizabeth Olsen.
Olsen’s performance in T. Sean Durkin‘s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” alongside John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson and Hugh Dancy has been one of the most talked about performances so far with another leading role in horror remake “Silent House” on the horizon. With the fest not even halfway through, the actress has wasted no time lining up her next project, now revealed to be “Buried” director Rodrigo Cortes‘ next effort, “Red Lights.”
With Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy attached to star, the “thriller about supernatural activity” (as described by Olsen) follows the story of a psychologist and her assistant whose study of paranormal activity leads them to investigate a world-renowned psychic who is stepping back into the limelight after 30 years. De Niro will play the psychic, Weaver the psychologist with Olsen taking up the role of the assistant while Murphy will be portraying her love interest who is apparently “not a huge part of the story.”
Olsen’s interest in the pic evidently stems from her own interest in psychology, which she is currently majoring in at New York University. The actress will be taking her a break from her studies to shoot the film with pre-production reportedly already underway through Barcelona-based Versus Entertainment. Lensing is slated begin in Spain and Canada next month. [THR]