TWO-LANE BLACKTOP director Monte Hellman teams with frequent screenwriting partner Steven Gaydos for this thriller about a young film director (Tygh Runyan) whose mesmerizing leading lady (Shannyn Sossamon) may be responsible for the recent disappearance of a wealthy couple. Convinced that the recent scandal involving an aging North Carolina senator and his attractive young aide has all the makings of a hit thriller, director Mitchell Haven (Runyan) begins adapting the story for the screen. But when the time comes for Mitchell to cast his female lead, no Hollywood actress he auditions can make the cut. Desperate, the director recruits an unknown (Sossamon) who not only refuses to acknowledge herself as an actor, but whose reluctance to reveal any personal information leads some of the cast and crew to suspect that she may actually be the elusive femme fatale whose story inspired the film.