Actress Byrne joins Cage in sci-fi thriller

Australian actress Rose Byrne poses as she arrives for the world premiere of the film 'Troy' in Berlin May 9, 2004.

(Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

By Gregg Goldstein Tue Mar 4, 3:11 AM ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Rose Byrne, co-star of FX's legal drama "Damages," will join Nicolas Cage in the sci-fi thriller "Knowing." The project is set to begin shooting later this month in her native Australia.

Byrne will play the daughter of a woman who buried a 1962 time capsule bearing the dates of the assassinations of historical figures, the hotel fire death of the wife of a professor (Cage) and an imminent world apocalypse. After the professor discovers its contents and alerts her, the initially skeptical Byrne begins remembering strange incidents from her childhood. Alex Proyas ("I, Robot") will direct.

Byrne, received a Golden Globe nomination this year for her supporting turn as an ambitious young lawyer in "Damages," which stars Glenn Close. After its first season wrapped last fall, FX ordered two additional seasons. Byrne's feature credits include "Marie Antoinette" and "28 Days Later."

Summit Entertainment, in theaters with the Christina Ricci drama "Penelope," will fully finance and distribute "Knowing."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter