Scarlett Johansson is in early negotiations to star in Reflective Light. The drama from Focus Features will mark the directorial debut of art photographer Gregory Crewdson.

Marc Platt is producing the film along with Platt Productions’ Jared LeBoff.  The film is an adaptation of the 2014 Carla Buckley novel The Deepest Secret, which Crewdson and partner Juliane Hiam have adapted.

The story follows a teenage boy who suffers from a malady that makes him gravely allergic to sunlight. If things work out, Johansson will play the boy’s mother, who is devoted to his care and has alienated the rest of their family, creating an oddly sustainable nocturnal lifestyle for him at the expense of her own well-being. When a neighbourhood girl goes missing, the balance that kept them afloat begins to unravel.

Focus hopes to start the production next year.