Anchor Bay Films has acquired North American, UK and Australian rights to John Bonito’s thriller Carjacked set to star Maria Bello and Stephen Dorff.

Principal photography is scheduled to begin in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on November 15, on the story about a single mother who helps her son escape from a carjacking and must free herself when the villain drives her vehicle into a lake.

This is the company’s second acquisition on a film starring Maria Bello following this week’s seven-figure deal on Toronto entry Beautiful Boy. Dorff is currently riding high on the Venice Golden Lion success of Somewhere.

Daniel Grodnik and Mass Hysteria Entertainment produced. Eric Gozlan, Murray Rosenthal, Richard Iott and Mike Greenfield served as executive producers. Ed Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group is handling sales on all available territories.

Anchor Bay Entertainment president Bill Clark, Anchor Bay Films’s executive vice-president of worldwide acquisitions and co-productions Kevin Kasha and Richard Turner for Anchor Bay Films negotiated the deal with the producers.

“One of the best aspects of my job is working with producers and directors that I truly like and admire,” Kasha said. “Daniel and John are exactly that, and we are glad they are part of the Anchor Bay Films family.”