Zooey Deschanel has been brought on to star with Mark Wahlberg in M. Night Shyamalan's 20th Century Fox thriller The Happening, according to Variety. The director's Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense producer Barry Mendel will produce with Sam Mercer.

The movie tells the story of a man who takes his family on the run when an apocalyptical natural crisis threatens to end civilization; filming starts in August in Philadelphia.

Deschanel's credits include the upcoming Surf's Up, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford with Brad Pitt, Bridge to Terabithia, and Failure to Launch.

The Happening was released June 13th, 2008 and stars Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley, Spencer Breslin, Robert Bailey Jr., Frank Collison. The film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan.