Jennifer Beals has signed up for the Denzel Washington starrer, The Book Of Eli, marking a return to movieland after five seasons in Showtime drama, the L-Word.

A sci-fi actioner with a Mad Max-y flavour, The Book Of Eli stars Washington as the titular Eli, a lone hero charged with protecting a sacred tome and securing the fate of all of mankind (no pressure then).  Beals will play the blind mother of Milan Kunis' Sonara, fighting to protect her daughter from the unwelcome advances of Gary Oldman's small-town despot.

The Book Of Eli is turning into something of a comeback pic, with the Hughes brothers also returning for their first directing gig since 2002's From Hell. Beals is reunited with Washington, with whom she starred in 1995 film noir Devil In A Blue Dress.

Shooting starts in New Mexico next month, with a US release date scheduled for 15 January 2010.

Source: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=24071