Misha Green to direct Sunflower

Misha Green will make her feature directorial debut with 'Sunflower'.

The 'Lovecraft Country' creator is to write and helm the film that centres on two women struggling to escape from a deranged college professor who is holding them hostage on a remote sunflower farm.

Jurnee Smollett has been cast in the film while Green is producing the Lionsgate thriller alongside Craig Flores.

The movie reunites Misha and Jurnee after they collaborated on the TV shows 'Underground and 'Lovecraft Country' - the latter of which received 18 Emmy nominations. It is hoped that the flick will begin production in the summer.

Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: "Everyone at our studio was completely drawn in by the way Misha, Jurnee, and the 'Lovecraft Country' team worked so confidently to create a compelling genre series - then subverted the genre and reinvented it through a new lens.

"That's the opportunity with 'Sunflower'. The screenplay is unique, thrilling, and flat-out scary. It's going to make a hell of a movie."

Green pointed out that 'Sunflower' was the first script she sold after arriving in Hollywood and will now be her first outing behind the camera.

The 38-year-old screenwriter said: "I couldn't have hoped for better partners and collaborators than Nathan, the Lionsgate team, Craig, and Jurnee to help me shepherd it to the big screen."

Smollett played the role of Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary in the superhero film 'Birds of Prey' and is "very excited" about the standalone spin-off for her alter ego.

The 36-year-old actress said: "I'm just so incredibly excited about a number of things that I can't talk about. I mean, I'm excited, that's what I can say. I'm excited about getting to explore a lot... I feel like we've only touched the surface with Black Canary."