Shameless star Emmy Rossum has joined the cast of Beautiful Creatures for Warner Bros. and writer-director Richard LaGravenese.

The story centers on two teenage lovers (Jack O'Connell and Alice Englert) who discover the dark secrets hidden by their families. Emmy Rossum will play Ridley, the cousin of Alice Englert's character who turned into a dark witch on her 16th birthday. Viola Davis and Emma Thompson also star in Beautiful Creatures.

Richard LaGravenese will direct from his own screenplay, which is adapted from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl's novel, which is the first in a three-part series. Erwin Stoff is producing alongside Alcon's Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson.

Production is scheduled to begin next month in New Orleans.