AceShowbiz -

Last seen on the big screen in Steven Spielberg's 2005 blockbuster "War of the Worlds", Miranda Otto is making her way back to film industry now as the Australian actress has already signed on to star in crime drama "How to Change in 9 Weeks" for Icon Film Distribution.

Based on actual events, the movie presents the story a 15-year-old Australian student, Rachel Barber, who went missing in Melbourne in 1999 and was found to have been murdered by a former childhood friend, Caroline Reid. Otto is said to portray Barber's mother with Guy Pearce appearing as the girl's father.

Also included in the cast are Sam Neill, Rebecca Gibney, and Justine Clarke as well as newcomers Kate Bell and Ruth Murphy, the latter two being cast in the key roles of Barber and Reid. Filming begins this week in Queensland under the direction of first-time helmer Simone North who is slated to carry out the task from her own script.

Otto, best known for her role as Eowyn in the last two installments of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, started to act at age nineteen and later managed to gain supporting parts in Hollywood productions of "The Thin Red Line" and "What Lies Beneath." Her past film credits include "Human Nature", "Danny Deckchair", and "Flight of the Phoenix."