WENN

Jodie Foster has signed on to star in and direct an English-language remake of Iceland’s Oscars entry Woman at War.

The Silence of the Lambs star will revamp the lead role of Halla, portrayed in the original by Halldora Geirharosdottir, a middle-aged music teacher who secretly spends her time as a fierce eco warrior and outlaw, until she is forced to reevaluate her lifestyle when her application to become an adoptive mother is approved.

The double Oscar winner will also step behind the camera for the thriller, marking her fifth feature film project as director.

“This movie thrilled me beyond words,” Jodie shares in a statement to Deadline. “I am so excited to helm a new American imagining of this relevant, beautiful, inspiring story.”

Foster plans to relocate the storyline from Iceland to the American West, and she cannot wait to step into Halla’s shoes.

“The character of Halla is a warrior for the planet, a strong woman who risks it all to do the right thing. But not without some serious mishaps along the way,” she continues.

“I can’t wait to play her. I’m always drawn to a bold and quirky mixture of humor and emotion. This one speaks for our time. It is an honor to take the reins from the talented director Benedikt Erlingsson and his producing partner Marianne Slot.”

Slot will be returning to serve as a producer, alongside Foster, for the Hollywood reboot.

It’s not clear who will adapt the script for the English-language version; the original was co-written by filmmaker Erlingsson and Olafur Egilsson.

Icelandic film officials selected Woman at War, known locally as Kona fer I strid, as their submission for 2019’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The finalists for the category will be announced in January, with the Academy Awards set to take place on 24 February.