Sony tries "Experiment" with prison thriller

Adrien Brody arrives for a Film Society Gala Tribute to honor actor Tom Hanks with the Chaplin Award in New York April 27, 2009.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Sony is feeling experimental.

The studio has picked up the North American distribution rights to "The Experiment," a psychological thriller remake starring Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker.

The picture revolves around several dozen men who, as part of a scientific experiment, are chosen to simulate the roles of prisoners and guards, prompting a host of dark consequences.

Brody plays the leader of the prisoners, and Whitaker is the lead guard. It marks the feature directing debut of "Prison Break" creator Paul Scheuring. The project, which is shooting in Iowa, is likely to get a 2010 release.

The film is a remake of Oliver Hirschbiegel's 2001 German hit, "Das Experiment," which was based on an incident at Stanford University in 1971 when an experiment that sought to find out how ordinary people would react in a prison situation went horribly awry.

(Editing by dean.goodman at Reuters)