America Ferrera to star in 'Tragic' film

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Maya Entertainment has announced plans to produce "American Tragic," a big-screen drama starring America Ferrera.

Ryan Piers Williams, who wrote the film, is also slated to direct it, while Heather Rae will serve as producer. Sergio Aguero is to executive produce along with Ferrera, whose company, Take Fountain Productions, will receive production credit.

Ferrera is best known for her Emmy Award-winning work on the TV comedy "Ugly Betty."

"Ryan has written a very compelling film that will surely resonate with both Latino and mainstream audiences," Jeff Valdez, who co-chairs Maya Entertainment along with Maya founder Moctesuma Esparza, said in a statement.

The film is about a young soldier (played by newcomer Ryan O'Nan,) as he returns home from a tour of duty and finds it difficult to resume life as he once knew it. Ferrera will play his wife and Melissa Leo his mother.

"When our production team, along with Heather, described the film and told me America was on board, it took us all of one day to fast-track the film into development and pre-production," added Jeff Gonzalez, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Maya Entertainment. "This will be the second film of America's that Maya distributes as we recently distributed 'How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer.'"