The bizarre Kickstarter film starring Lindsay Lohan and a porn star

Right now, Lindsay Lohan is portraying Elizabeth Taylor in Liz and Dick, Lifetime's chronicle of Taylor's storied romance with Richard Burton (Grant Bowler) — but her next costar may be a porn star. American Psycho writer Bret Easton Ellis revealed Tuesday that Lohan will appear alongside adult-film headliner James Deen in his upcoming movie The Canyons, an erotic thriller about the fiery relationship between a manipulative trust-fund kid (Deen) and his girlfriend (Lohan). The movie was financed through the populist fundraising website Kickstarter. Here, what you should know:

What is the film about?

Written by Ellis, who also wrote novels-turned-movies Less Than Zero and The Rules of Attraction, The Canyons "documents five twenty-somethings' quest for power, love, sex and success in 2012 Hollywood." Deen's character Christian is a "trust-fund kid, power player, [film producer] and major manipulator," who enjoys documenting his own three-way sex sessions." Lohan plays Christian's girlfriend Tara, a former model who "has sold her pride" for material comforts. When casting began in March, Ellis teased that the male lead must be comfortable being "full frontal naked banging girls and guys realistically." The Canyons will be directed by Paul Schrader, who wrote Taxi Driver and Raging Bull and directed American Gigolo.

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And it was funded by Kickstarter?

At least in part. The film is described by Simon Dang at Indie Wire as a "micro-indie," meaning it has a tiny budget. To fund the film, Ellis and Schrader launched a fundraising campaign on the venture capital website Kickstarter. They set a goal of $100,000, but eventually surpassed that amount by collecting $159,015 in donations from 1,050 backers. The Canyons will film in July, and get a video-on-demand release.

Who is this porn star lead?

James Deen, born Bryan Sevilla, was nicknamed after the Rebel Without a Cause actor at age 12 because of the way he smoked, according to E! Online. In 2009, at age 23, he became the youngest actor to be named Male Performer of the Year by Adult Video News and has since received lots of mainstream press. He's starred in over 1,000 porn movies, and has been praised for "going against the typical look of male porn stars," says Stacy Lambe at Buzzfeed. He's "not as seedy and Ron Jeremy-esque as you imagine," says Katey Rich at Cinema Blend, but rather a "boy-next-door" type whose crossover into mainstream movies "seemed inevitable."

Is Ellis crazy for casting troubled Lohan?

The oft-messed-up Lohan made headlines last week for rear-ending an 18-wheeler on the Pacific Coast Highway, but she told police that her assistant was driving the car. Lying to police officers is considered a misdemeanor. If charged, Lohan could be sent to jail for up to six months. Still, the mere casting of Lohan brought loads of attention to what otherwise would've been an unnoticed project, says Sabrina Rojas Weiss at Vh1, and the film's small budget means there's much less to lose "if Lindsay winds up in the slammer or rehab again."

Sources: Buzzfeed, Cinema Blend, E! Online, Find Law, Indie Wire (2), Kickstarter, Vh1