Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) has solidified a deal to star opposite Emmy Rossum in the indie drama Dare and is in final negotiations to star in The River Why.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Dare is directed by Adam Salky and written by David Brind, and is based on a short film. The film is currently shooting in Philadelphia.

Gilford plays the bad boy in the film about three high school seniors who break their own rules and take the biggest risks of their lives. He joins a cast that includes Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer and Sandra Bernhard.

Meanwhile, Gilford is in final talks to play Gus Orviston in the film adaptation of David James Duncan's 1983 Sierra Club novel The River Why.

Matt Leutwyler is directing a script written by Thomas A. Cohen and John Jay Osborn Jr.

The River Why is set to start filming in late summer in the Pacific Northwest.

Dare was released November 13th, 2009 and stars Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, Ashley Springer, Ana Gasteyer, Rooney Mara, Sandra Bernhard, Alan Cumming, Cady Huffman. The film is directed by Adam Salky.