Lindsay Lohan takes new role in film about sex and ambition among 20-somethings in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Amid ongoing legal issues, a recent car crash and run-in with paramedics, Lindsay Lohan has secured her next movie role.

Producer Braxton Pope says Lohan will star in "The Canyons," a film by "Less Than Zero" author Bret Easton Ellis about sex and ambition among 20-somethings in Los Angeles. Paul Schrader, who wrote "Taxi Driver" and directed "American Gigolo," is set to direct the film.

Lohan's publicist, Steve Honig, confirmed Wednesday that the 26-year-old actress had been cast in "The Canyons" and added that she has been on set since last week.

"A big part of the reason she did this was because of Paul Schrader and the opportunity to work with such an iconic filmmaker," Honig said.

Lohan recently completed work on the Lifetime movie "Liz & Dick," in which she played Elizabeth Taylor. During that production, she crashed her Porsche into a dump truck and a week later was treated by paramedics for exhaustion and dehydration.

Last week, Lohan's attorneys confirmed that she has resolved a case filed by three men she took on a high-speed ride that resulted in her second driving under the influence arrest in 2007.

Lohan remains on informal probation for taking a necklace last year from a jewelry store without permission. She is not required to check in with a judge or probation officer, but could face a jail term if she is re-arrested.

In "The Canyons," Lohan plays opposite James Deen, who is best known as an adult film star with thousands of movies to his credit. Gus Van Sant also has been cast in the film, Pope said.

Schrader describes the characters as "beautiful people doing bad things in nice rooms."

"Lindsay Lohan and James Deen not only have the acting talent," he said, "they also have that screen quality that keeps you watching their every move."

Filming is set to continue next week.