The Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson will star in the psychological thriller Ape from Atomic Owl Pictures and JetLag Productions.  

ICM Partners packaged the project and represents worldwide sales to the story about a young man’s struggle with mental illness, love and a deep family secret. Miguel Sapochnik will direct from a screenplay by Jon Johnstone.

“We strongly believe in the global appeal of this project and we’re excited to work with Bree Herzog and team,” said JetLag’s Hutcherson. “Ape is a passion project for us and to see it get made would truly be a dream come true.”

“Josh is a tremendously talented and versatile actor who has already had an exciting career with roles spanning from blockbuster franchises such as The Hunger Games to award-winning independent films like The Kids Are All Right,” said Bree Herzog of Atomic Owl. “We couldn’t be happier to be collaborating with Josh and JetLag Productions on Ape.”

Hutcherson is currently shooting the Pablo Escobar drama Paradise Lost in Panama opposite Benicio Del Toro. He will next be seen in Catching Fire in November.