Angelina Jolie will star in original thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead, loosely based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Michael Koryta.
The book tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who witnesses a brutal murder and is then plunged into a new life, issued a false identity, and hidden in a wilderness skills program for troubled teens.
The killers are on the hunt, slaughtering anyone who gets in their way in a methodical quest to reach him.
The script - written by Taylor Sheridan - is described as being female-driven, and it's believed that Jolie will play the character of Hannah Faber, who occupies a lonely fire lookout tower before being swept into the teenager's life (via The Hollywood Reporter).
It had been rumoured that Jolie - who is special envoy to the UN Refugee Agency - was retiring from acting to pursue a political career.
The 43-year-old star is an active campaigner against sexual violence in conflict, and co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative with former Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Jolie, whose last film was 2015's By the Sea with ex-husband Brad Pitt, has reprised her role in Disney's Maleficent 2, which is set for release in 2020.
The actress also recently finished filming adventure drama Come Away, a prequel to the stories of Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland by J.M. Barrie and Lewis Carroll.
Meanwhile, speaking previously about the possibility of running for US presidency during her guest editor role on BBC's Today programme, Jolie said:
"If you asked me 20 years ago, I would've laughed... I always say I'll go where I'm needed, I don't know if I'm fit for politics… but then I've also joked that I don't know if I have a skeleton left in my closet.
"So I’m pretty open and out there. I can take a lot on the chin so that's good. But I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change. I'm also able to work with governments and I'm also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done."
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
