1st Look at Julianne Hough in Diablo Cody's 'Paradise'

Diablo Cody's voice as a screenwriter has been unmistakable, giving a distinct feel and texture to movies such as Juno, Young Adult, and the unfortunate Jennifer's Body. She also did some touch-ups on the recent Evil Dead script, but frankly you wouldn't know it, which either means that she didn't really do all that much or she's gotten very good at masking her style. One of the more anticipated movies for the tail end of the year has been Cody's directorial debut, a religious comedy formerly titled Lamb of God, but now has been revealed to be titled Paradise, and USA Today has the first official image from it.

Starring Julianne Hough, she plays Lamb, a Montana girl raised by strict fundamentalist parents played by Holly Hunter and Nick Offerman. After a terrible accident leaves her physically and spiritually scarred, Lamb heads to Las Vegas to commit all of the sins her closeted life has denied her, only to instead find hope and possible redemption through the people (including Octavia Spencer and Russell Brand) she encounters.

Sounds like a familiar role for Hough, with echoes of Footloose and Rock of Ages in her character, but she's exceedingly good at portraying such innocence coupled with eventual rebellion, so maybe this will be the breakout role she's been hoping for.  Paradise hits theaters on October 18th.