Avatar's Sam Worthington has signed on to star in the Drift, an Aussie-set drama set in the surfing world for Screen Australia.

"Drift combines serious Australian talent both in front of and behind the camera with [co-helmers] Morgan O'Neill and Ben Nott, together with Sam Worthington who has been in some of the highest grossing international films of the last few years," said acting Screen Australia topper Fiona Cameron. "The unique combination of surfing and performance expertise gives Drift the potential to be the first character-driven action movie set in the surfing world since Kathryn Bigelow's Point Break."

The agency also announced it is backing indigenous coming-of-age drama Satellite Boy directed and written by Catriona McKenzie.

No production dates have been set.