Natalie Martinez: From 'Under the Dome' to 'Home Invasion'

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Natalie Martinez, who plays Sheriff Linda Esquivel in CBS' "Under the Dome," has signed on to the cast of the Joel Silver-produced thriller "Home Invasion." Martinez joins Bella Thorne ("Wizards of Waverly Place") on the project.

The film's script is being written by Joseph Dembner, whose previous credits include boom operator on "Cadaverous" and "miscellaneous crew" on "Motel Room," both independent shorts, and it will be directed by Sean Cater, whose previous work is in shorts and commercials. The project is being produced under the umbrella of Silver's company and Voltage Pictures.

Expect the film to be made on a shoestring budget in an attempt to duplicate the unexpected success this summer of low-budget thrillers "The Purge" and "The Conjuring." Whether or not that kind of success can be easily imitated is an open question. "The Purge" obviously gave producers the idea that the home-invasion genre might be hot, but another home-invasion flick, "You're Next," underperformed later in the season. "The Conjuring" was a supernatural horror story, not a violent thriller, and another horror film by the same director, "Insidious: Chapter 2," failed to deliver long-term box office gold despite a strong opening weekend.

Martinez isn't putting all her eggs in the "Home Invasion" basket, however. She has parlayed her turn in "Under the Dome" into roles in upcoming films including "Selfless" opposite Ryan Reynolds and "Run All Night" with Liam Neeson.