Pharmaceutical thrillers seem to be becoming something of a trend at the moment, between Steven Soderbergh recruiting Jude Law and Blake Lively for The Side Effects and now Cabin Fever 2 **/ Innkeepers director Ti West finding funding for his own project, called (at least for now), The Side Effect. Now there's some additional news as West has nabbed Liv Tyler to star.
She’ll play Catherine Rigby, a woman who volunteers to spend several months alone in space as part of an experiment by a massive pharmaceutical company. One day, she awakens to find herself inexplicably pregnant and is soon suffering a major paranoia attack as her attempts to find out the truth behind her seemingly immaculate conception lead to more and more elusive answers.
Tyler seems excited to work with West, calling him “a super-talented exciting young filmmaker” in a statement picked up by Deadline. “The role of Rigby is a fantastic character within a great thriller and I am looking forward to sinking my teeth into the part,” she adds.
And while West has largely been known for his horror output to date, he’s shifting slightly for this one. But only slightly… “Although it is still somewhat of a horror film, it is much more psychological than any of my previous efforts. It was essential that I find an actress who could portray a wide range of emotion and always earn the audience’s sympathy no matter what the situation. As soon as I sat down with Liv, it was obvious she was the one.”
Now he’s found his star, West hopes to begin filming in February. But before that’s he’s been hard at work making his entry to anthology pic The ABCs Of Horro****r and will be in Sundance to support his segment of V/H/S.
Given that both Soderbergh and West’s projects have very similar titles, we’d expect one to blink. The Soderbergh film also went under the name The Bitter Pill, so there’s always a chance it could change again…