CANNES -- Kate Hudson will star in the romantic comedy "Earthbound", which Mark Gill and Neil Sacker's The Film Department has lined up for a September 21 start in Montreal.

Nicole Kassell will direct from a screenplay by Gren Wells about a guarded woman who uses caustic wit as her armour until she meets a like-minded man. The Film Department's president of international Steve Bickel is talking to buyers here about the project and producers Gill, John Davis and Robert Katz are scouting for a male lead. Sacker and Michael Goguen are serving as executive producers.

The project marks a change of tone for Kassell, who previously directed Kevin Bacon in the paedophile drama "The Woodsman". 'Nicole is a very funny woman,' Gill said. 'She's going to do a great job with 'Earthbound' and we're excited to get going."