Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE) will finance and produce Gregg Hurwitz’s spec script Legacy with Double Nickel Entertainment for the directorial debut of UK theatre director Thea Sharrock.

Legacy marks SKE’s first production since it financed and produced The Place Beyond The Pines.

The story combines elements of comedy, drama and thriller and tells of a single mother whose 12-year-old son persuades her to commit the perfect crime.

Sharrock [pictured] nbecame the youngest artistic director of London’s Southwark Playhouse at the age of 21 and has since directed West End productions such as The Bodyguard, The Sunshine Boys and Equus starring Daniel Radcliffe.

Sidney Kimmel and SKE president of production Matt Berenson will produce alongside Double Nickel’s Jenette Kahn and Adam Richman. SKE president Jim Tauber and Bruce Toll are on board as executive producers.

“Thea is a star in the world of contemporary British theatre and her transition to film in my opinion should be as seamless as [those of] Stephen Daldry’s and Sam Mendes,” said Kimmel.

“Her taste and talent are perfectly suited to Gregg Hurwitz’s own unique sensibilities, and specifically to his script, which echoes elements of Shakespeare and Noel Coward. We are all very excited about this project and are currently speaking to talent and potential distribution partners.”