After appearing in the likes of I Am Number Four, Magic Mike and Endless Love, actor Alex Pettyfer has decided to take a crack at directing. He'll oversee Back Roads, producing and starring alongside Jennifer Morrison, Juliette Lewis and Nicola Peltz.
Originally set up as the new film from Adrian Lyne (he's decided to step back and be an executive producer, but did adapt the script alongside author Tawni O'Dell), Back Roads is drawn from the 1999 novel. The story will see Pettyfer as Harley Altmyer, whose mother (Lewis) is sent to prison for murdering his father. So while Harley is left to care for his three younger sisters, (including Peltz), he's trying to figure out his life.
It takes a turn for the hazardous when he develops a relationship with a married mother of two (Morrison) and family secrets rise, threatening to overcome him. Then, he becomes the prime suspect in a local murder...
Pettyfer is calling the shots now in Louisiana and the next stage will be looking for distributors.