The Crown's Claire Foy to star in period horror-thriller Dust

The Crown actress Claire Foy will star in a Depression-era horror-thriller, Dust, for Disney; in particular its Searchlight production arm.

According to Variety, Foy will play the central role of a woman who is increasingly unsettled and disturbed in 1930s Oklahoma by the incessant, violent dust storms that whip up in the area. Her psychological stability is undermined by the thought that a mysterious presence is threatening her family.

Foy's character decides to take desperate action in a bid to protect them and herself.

Dust was pitched at the Cannes virtual film market in June and was an attractive project because of the actress attached, but also because it was fairly self-contained production: it will be set in a farmhouse far from other civilisation, with a small number of roles and a "minimalist aesthetic". An almost perfect scenario for the COVID-19-compromised film industry.

Dust will be co-directed by Will Joines and Karrie Crouse, a staff writer on HBO's Westworld series, from a script that Crouse penned.

Foy has serious star wattage after her two seasons playing Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix drama The Crown, for which she won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors' Guild Awards.

Her next release will be Louis Wain, co-starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which is the real-life tale of the Victorian artist of the title (famed for his human-like paintings of domestic cats) and his wife, Emily. It co-stars Toby Jones and is currently scheduled for release in 2021.

As well, Foy will co-star with James McAvoy in the English language version of the French movie, My Son. The project is unusual because McAvoy won't be given a script during filming of the mysterious tale of a boy's disappearance.

Foy, 36, is also developing a film project based on the Charlotte McConaghy novel Migrations, an unusual narrative about a young woman's journey accompanying what could be the final flight of Antarctica's terns.

Check out what else is on with our TV Guide, or take a look at our new TV shows 2020 page to find out what's airing this autumn and beyond.