Arclight Films has picked up international rights on a vampire horror film being produced by Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring and Whale Rider producer Tim Sanders and directed by Glenn Standring (The Irrefutable Truth About Demons).

Called Perfect Creature, the film will be sold by Arclight's genre label Darclight. It is produced by Sanders under Russel Fischer and Haneet Vaswani's Roc Media. Fischer and Vaswani previously executive produced Bend It Like Beckham.

Dougray Scott (Enigma, To Kill A King, Ripley's Game) has committed to the lead role of Silus and Saffron Burrows, who is currently starring opposite Brad Pitt in Troy, is in discussion to play the female lead of Lilly. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Bend It Like Beckham) may end up as the villain, Edgar.

According to Arclight, the film mixes science fiction and horror in a retelling of the original vampire myth, set in an alternate version of the 1960s. Themes include race, serial killings and the capacity of human beings to hope. Exteriors will be shot in Dunedin in New Zealand and Animation Research Limited will handle the effects.

A statement issued by Arclight says Standring's first feature The Irrefutable Truth About Demons, which was produced by First Sun, was the most profitable New Zealand film of the last decade. New Zealand Film is selling Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia on the film, which goes into production at the end of the year.