Peter Dinklage heads The Thicket cast

Peter Dinklage is to star in the dark western 'The Thicket'.

The 'Game of Thrones' actor will also produce the movie which has started production in Calgary, Canada.

Peter will be joined in the cast of the Tubi Films project by Juliette Lewis, Esme Creed-Miles, Levon Hawke, Leslie Grace, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Macon Blair, Ned Dennehy, Andrew Schulz, Arliss Howard and Metallica rocker James Hetfield.

'The Thicket', based on Joe R. Lansdale's novel of the same name, follows a young man called Jack (Hawke), who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula (Creed-Miles) after she is kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill (Lewis) and her gang.

To rescue her, Jack enlists the help of bounty hunter Reginald Jones (Dinklage), the alcoholic son of an ex-slave (Akinnagbe) and a street-smart prostitute (Grace). The trio track down Cut Throat Bill to an area known as The Big Thicket – where blood and chaos reigns.

The movie has been a longtime passion project for Dinklage and he has been attached to the adaptation for a decade.

The flick had been in pre-production back in 2020 but was ultimately delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Dinklage, 53, said: "I'm so very excited to bring Joe Lansdale's riveting story to the screen. A journey into the heart of darkness to find love and return it to its rightful place."

Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer at Tubi, said: "As Tubi deepens its commitment to a wide range of genres, we are incredibly excited to begin production on 'The Thicket', which has been a passion project for so many involved.

"This elevated western thriller led by Peter Dinklage and an exceptionally talented team of artists delivers on genre expectations while adding so much more to make the journey into 'The Thicket' unique and mesmerising."