Lucy Hale is starring in a new survival-thriller called “Borrego,” which started production earlier this month. In the film, Hale plays the role of a young botanist named Elly, fighting for her survival.

The description reads, “The film will begin with Elly relocating to a small desert town to study an invasive plant species. While out on research, she comes to the aid of a downed ultralight plane only to find herself taken captive by an inexperienced drug mule, played by Leynar Gómez.”

Hale frequently stars in suspenseful-horror films, and her most recent was “Fantasy Island,” a twisted retelling based on the original television series. Hale also starred in the 2018 film “Truth or Dare” as Olivia Barron, and as Sherrie in “Scream 4.”

“Borrego” will hope to tackle several topics while keeping viewers at the edge of their seats. The story involves drug trafficking and its human victims, as well as human trafficking and violence against women. It’s a lot for one thriller to tackle, but could help more viewers relate to Hale’s character and add to the suspense.

The studio added, “Gómez’ character forces Elly, out of desperation, to lead a trek across the sweltering desert to his drop. The local sheriff, played by Nicholas Gonzalez, is drawn into the hunt as his rebellious daughter, Alex (Olivia Trujillo), sets out to find the missing botanist, all while being pursued by the local drug receiver, played by Jorge A. Jiménez.”

The movie is based on Jesse Harris’ critically acclaimed short film, “Wind in the Night.” That film focuses on a man protecting his family as he struggles with moral complications after the Mexican cartel orders him to become a drug receiver in America. Fans of the genre are encouraged to watch that short-film ahead of “Borrego,” to get a sense of the upcoming film’s style and direction.

Brothers Damiano and Tiziano Tucci of Tucci & Company are producing “Boreggo,” and hope to release the film in 2021. Lucy Hale, known best for her role in Freeform’s “Pretty Little Liars” series, will be working alongside Tucci & Co. as an executive producer to bring Harris’ script to the big-screen. “Borrego” will be Tucci & Company’s second project filmed during the current health crisis.

The studio stopped short of announcing a release date at this time, and we don’t have a first-look trailer at the film yet, but Hale fans will want to keep this film on their radar. Hale is also set to star in Brian Petsos’ comedy-drama “Big Gold Brick” with Megan Fox and Oscar Isaac, as well as Peter Hutchings’ rom-com “The Hating Game” with Gina Torres and Yasha Jackson.

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