The Lord Of The Rings beauty joins Terrence Howard, Charlie Hunnam and The Watchmen's Patrick Wilson in the new movie from first-time writer-director Matthew Chapman.

The film has just begun shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Ledge is a suspense drama about a young man (Hunnam) perched on a high-rise ledge, who insists he must jump.

He reveals to the cop (Howard) trying to dissuade him from jumping that he doesn't really want to, but just "has to".

Chapman said: "The Ledge examines the different and sometimes dangerous beliefs people adopt as a means of surviving emotional trauma."

Producer Michael Mailer added: "As more and more films succumb to the visual wizardry of 3-D, The Ledge explores the fourth dimension: the interior life of tortured souls hovering over the precipice of emotional nullity. This film is the reason why I became an independent filmmaker and why I continue to suffer in the trenches of independent filmmaking."

Howard is also one of the executive producers on the project, which is being financed by Foresight Unlimited and Germany's VIP Medienfonds.