NEWPORT-BORN Hollywood star Michael Sheen is to step behind the camera for the first time to direct a tense true crime thriller.

The 47-year-old will also star in Green River Killer as Gary Ridgway - who, in 2003, admitted murdering 48 women in the state of Washington in the 1980s and 1990s, but was spared the death penalty after he helped locate his victim’s remains.

The Masters of Sex star also wrote the screenplay for the film, based on an award-winning graphic novel written by Jeff Jenson, whose father, Tom, spent 20 years trying to track Ridgway down.

Speaking to entertainment magazine Variety Mr Sheen, whose parents both worked in south Wales’ steel industry, said the film would tell the story of the relationship between the two men.

“This is a dark story but one that ultimately finds hope and meaning in that darkness,” he said.

“The story of Tom and Gary and how they are bound together in time pulled me in from the beginning and wouldn’t let go.

“I hope that by now bringing it to life on screen it can make audiences feel the same way.”

Mr Sheen will next be seen on screen in science fiction adventure Passengers alongside Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence and Guardians of the Galaxy lead Chris Pratt.