AceShowbiz -

Relax, folks, it does not mean Tony Kaye has done anything criminal that he has to go to a prison. Far from it, the English filmmaker is in discussion to assume helming duties for action thriller "Penitentiary", which MGM has already agreed to distribute.

Produced under the newly-established Reliant Pictures banner, the picture reportedly has tapped Carl Lund to work on the script with an eye to begin production this summer in New Mexico. The project will mark the first feature coming from the company, which aims to produce six movies in the $10 million-$15 million range over the next three years.

Kaye, best known for his 1998 effort "American History X", last made a self-financed documentary titled "Lake of Fire" that concerns the anti-abortion campaigns in the United States. His upcoming stints include those for "Lobby Lobster", "Black Water Transit", and "Paranoia", a thriller drama centering on murder suspect who tries to reconstruct her two-day memory from clues found in her handbag.