Lindsay Lohan Pegged For 'American Psycho' Writer's Next Project

Lindsay Lohan could be described several ways - should "underestimated" perhaps count among them?

We'll soon see. American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis tweeted Tuesday that he's tapped Lohan to co-lead the cast of his penned thriller "The Canyons," to be directed for the big screen by Paul Schrader (most famous as writer of "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver.")

Funded by a Kickstarter campaign and championed by former Lionsgate producer Braxton Pope, "The Canyons" is Ellis' tale of "five twenty-somethings' quest for power, love, sex and success in 2012 Hollywood." Initially established with a $100,000 financing goal for production, the project to date has garnered $159,015 in pledges from 1,050 backers.

Lohan, set to play twenty-something Tara, is set to be joined by adult film star James Deen as Christian.

"I am beyond thrilled that James Deen and Lindsay Lohan will be playing the parts of Christian and Tara," Ellis tweeted. Pope added his own assessment that though troubled, Lohan isn't to be lumped among those famous for being mischievous, hedonistic and having a penchant for ending up embarrassingly in exactly the wrong kinds of "films."

Oh, he names names, too.

"This gets overwhelmed by publicity and her personal tumult, but Lindsay is a very talented actress," Pope told TheWrap. "She's not in the same genus as Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton. She's the real deal."

The good news is, Lohan has already done some filmed work for Schrader on the project. The neither-good-nor-bad news for Lohan, is that the "Mean Girls" star's involvement hinges strongly upon her keeping her personal life peaceful. She's still bobbing and weaving in and out of fallout from Friday's Pacific Coast Highway wreck on her way to shooting Lifetime's "Liz & Dick." Lohan is portraying screen icon Elizabeth Taylor opposite "True Blood" performer Grant Bowler as Taylor's twice-over husband and once "Cleopatra" co-star Richard Burton.

Shooting begins July 9, with Ellis, Schrader and Pope all being personally financially invested in the project.