Helen Hunt to Direct, Write and Star in Family Drama Ride

Actress turned triple threat will helm her second directorial feature, about a steely NYC mother who follows her free-spirited son to Los Angeles

She may be a critically acclaimed actress with an Oscar, several Emmys and a slew of Golden Globes under her belt. But apparently what Helen Hunt really wants to do…is be a filmmaking triple threat.

The 50-year-old star is set to write, star in and direct the upcoming family drama Ride, Deadline reports.

The film, which costars Luke Wilson and will reportedly begin shooting on Aug. 5 in Los Angeles, tells the story of a steely New York City magazine editor, played by Hunt, who follows her free-spirited son (Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites) to California after he decides to ditch school and become a surfer.

There, she crosses paths with a surfing teacher (Wilson), and romantic sparks soon fly between the two.

Hunt, who will also produce Ride, is coasting on a recent wave of industry acclaim: Earlier this year, she scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as a sex surrogate in the art-house hit The Sessions.

She won the Best Actress Oscar in 1998 for her widely praised turn opposite Jack Nicholson in the James L. Brooks romantic comedy As Good as It Gets.

Ride represents Hunt's second shot at pulling triple duty on set. She also directed, cowrote and acted in the 2007 indie Then She Found Me, about a Brooklyn schoolteacher whose life is upended after her husband leaves her and a woman comes forward claiming to be her real biological mother.

The film found modest success on the film-festival circuit, making stops at the Toronto Film Festival and SXSW, among others.

No release date has been set yet for Ride.