Ashton Kutcher and Alison Brie for Gregg Araki's new dark comedy film

Ashton Kutcher and Alison Brie are to star in Gregg Araki's new dark comedy film.

The 48-year-old actor and the 43-year-old actress are set to take centre stage in The Decline of F****** Western Civilization, which Deadline describes as an "ensemble piece — Election meets American Beauty".

Sources told the outlet that 45-year-old actor Jesse Williams is in talks for a "third major role" in the project, which entered production on Wednesday (16.09.26) in Los Angeles.

Why Not Productions and Goodfellas are producing the movie, while plot details for The Decline of F****** Western Civilization remain under wraps. Kevin W. Koehler has penned the screenplay, which 66-year-old director Araki subsequently revised.

The project comes after Araki's recent erotic comedy thriller, I Want Your Sex, in which naive Elliot Bell (Cooper Hoffman) begins an affair with provocative and sexually dominant artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde).

In August, Araki revealed he switched gender roles in I Want Your Sex following the #MeToo movement.

He told Empire magazine: "I Want Your Sex was something I was working on for ten or 11 years.

"As an indie filmmaker, you work on a lot of things at the same time. And it worked out, because in those years things have changed a lot.

"Originally, it was a female intern and a male boss, and it was pitched as a Fifty Shades of Grey-style comedy. But after Me Too, I changed the roles to a male intern and a female boss, which led to the creation of Erika Tracy.

"It's much more interesting to have a woman dom and a male sub."

Araki got Wilde, 42, to board the project early on and feels that the movie industry was not sure what to do with the House star - who has turned to directing in recent years.

The Nowhere director said: "Olivia is such a movie star, she has so much presence.

"I think of her as being like a '40s star – Rita Hayworth or Ingrid Bergman. She has that crazy bone structure, and when she walks into a room, everyone's like, 'Who is that?'"

Araki added: "I feel like Hollywood doesn't really know what to do with her.

"She got sick of playing the hot wife or girlfriend, I think that's why she started directing.

"I first noticed her when she was on The O.C., playing the bisexual cool girl. So for her to just jump in and play this part was exciting – it's such a juicy, crazy part for someone who has the guts to do it."