LOS ANGELES: "Big Little Lies" star Shailene Woodley has boarded the cast of "Robots", an indie comedy set in near future.
Woodley is stepping in for Emma Roberts, who was originally attached to star in the film with actor-comic Jack Whitehall.
The movie is being co-directed by Oscar-nominated writer Anthony Hines and Casper Christensen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Robots" is based on the short story by science fiction writer Robert Sheckley.
The plot follows Charles (Whitehall) and Elaine (Woodley) who trick people into relationships with illegal robot doubles of themselves.
When they unwittingly scam each other, their robot doubles fall in love and elope, forcing the duo to join forces and hunt them down before the authorities discover their secret.
Hines, known for "Borat" and its sequel, and Casper Christensen of "Klown" fame penned the screenplay.
"At a time when comedies are needed more than ever, I couldn't be more delighted than to have Shailene and Jack team up to play the leads in this movie," said Hines.
Woodley recently finished work on another indie, "Misanthrope" on which she serves as producer.
She stars in the upcoming film "The Last Letter from Your Lover", which she also produced.