Simone Ashley starring in This Tempting Madness

Simone Ashley has been cast in 'This Tempting Madness'.

The 28-year-old star will play the lead role in the indie thriller directed by Jennifer E. Montgomery that has recently wrapped production in Los Angeles.

The film is inspired by a true story and follows a young woman (Ashley), who awakens from a coma with grievous injuries, her memory fractured and her husband arrested.

However, as she puts together the pieces of her past, she starts to question her own actions and her perception of reality.

Montgomery has penned the script with her husband Andrew M. Davis and the pair will produce the flick for their Smoke Jumper Films banner.

Simone is best known for her role as Kate Bridgerton in the second season of the Netflix period drama 'Bridgerton' and previously revealed how she loved the way her alter ego "breaks the rules".

Speaking on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', she said: "I like the fact that she's [Kate] not a people pleaser, and she wasn't afraid to be opinionated and controversial; break the rules a little bit."

Simone described the process of being cast in the series – in which she will reprise her role for the third season – as "all a whirlwind".

The 'Sex Education' star said: "It was all a whirlwind; it happened in two weeks. I sent in some self-tapes the first week and by the second I was meeting with Jonny [Jonathan Bailey] for a chemistry test.

"Everyone knew about the show and was talking about it and was wondering what would happen in season two, but I had to keep it quiet for a few days."