Emile Hirsch joins The Darkest Hour

After we reported last week that Olivia Thirlby had signed up for alien invasion sci-fi The Darkest Hour , it's now been announced that Emile Hirsch has also joined the cast.

Hirsch, who was Golden Globe-nominated for his turn as wandering-teen Chris McCandless in Into The Wild , had a role in Oscar-winning Milk and scored something of a mis-step with Speed Racer , has had a quiet 2009/2010.

He looks to be gearing up for a busier 2011 with Hamlet already announced, and now The Darkest Hour , for director Chris Gorak (Right At Your Door) and producer Timur Bekmambetov.

The plot of the film is a 28 Weeks Later -esque affair, following a group of American tourists in Moscow trying to survive an alien attack - with Hirsch likely to play the leader of the teenagers trying to defeat the invaders.

The film is due to start shooting in Moscow this June.

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