EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winner joins sci-fi alongside Robert Pattinson, Mia Goth.

Patricia Arquette

Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) has joined Robert Pattinson (Twilight) and Mia Goth (The Survivalist) in the cast of Claire Denis’ anticipated untitled sci-fi, written by UK novelist Zadie Smith (White Teeth) and Smith’s writer husband Nick Laird.

Denis’ English-language debut, due to shoot next year, is understood to follow a group of skilled criminals who, in a bid to escape their long sentences or capital punishment, accept a likely-fatal government space mission to find alternative energy sources.

The project, which ScreenDaily first reported in June, marks an intriguing change of direction for the White Material and Beau Travail writer-director.

The story is based on an original idea by Denis and her regular writing partner Jean-Pol Fargeau, and is due to go into production early next year.

Producers are Oliver Dungey (Miss Julie), Laurence Clerc and Olivier Thery Lapiney from Paris-based Alcatraz Films, and Claudia Steffen and Christoph Friedel of Pandora Filmproduktion in Cologne.

Alcatraz and Pandora produced Denis’ most recent feature, Bastards, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013.

Denis regular Wild Bunch is handling international sales while Des Hamilton is casting the project.

Collaborators on the film also include Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, known for his Tate Modern installation The Weather Project; astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau, known for his work on black holes and cosmology; and Stuart Staples of indie band Tindersticks, who previously provided music for Denis titles including White Material and 35 Rhums.

Medium and True Romance star Arquette most recently starred in Nick Sandow’s feature crime-drama The Wannabe and US TV series CSI: Cyber.