Paris Sings Opera

Paris Hilton really is singing a new tune.

The career trajectory of the briefly down-and-out heiress is back on the upswing, with Hilton set to take on her first acting gig since busting out of the big house last month, signing on to star in a new, seemingly genre-defying futuristic musical thriller.

Repo! The Genetic Opera is set in 2056 and centers around a mysterious plague that threatens the survival of the human race, which hinges on the financing of an expensive organ transplant. Veteran thesp Paul Sorvinio stars as the organ-transplant tycoon, the film's bad guy, while Hilton stars as his daughter.

E! Online senior editor Marc Malkin first reported Hilton's musical news last week.

"I've been rehearsing every day—seven hours a day," Hilton told Malkin at a Feed the Models, Save the World fundraiser. "We're just in the studio. We're doing dance and singing. We go shoot next month in Toronto.

Hilton remained mum on the plot of the movie at the time, though did deem it a "very cool and unique project."

More details emerged Monday in Variety.

Hilton and crew will sing tunes in the flick ranging from opera numbers to modern rock. The film also stars Alexa Vega and is set to be directed by Saw helmer Darren Lynn Bousman.

"This movie has become my life," Bousman told Variety. "I have auditioned at least 30 actresses for this role—Paris came in and owned it. She is this role."

Neither singing nor acting is a new endeavor for the 25-year-old, though Repo! The Genetic Opera will mark her first effort at combining the two talents.

Hilton has previously starred in the maligned big-screen horror remake House of Wax and has given cameos as herself in Raising Helen and Zoolander. Last year, she released her debut album, simply named Paris, that sold more than 600,000 copies. It spawned the modest Top 20 single, "Stars Are Blind."

As it is, the hotel namesake is already looking to add to her musical oeuvre and avoid the sophomore slump, telling E! Online earlier this month that she's already hit the studio in advance of a second album.

"I'm already working on my new record," she said. "I've been in meetings with Scott [Storch] and we've been working on it."

Hilton said she and Storch, who in addition to working on her previous album has been behind hits for Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera and 50 Cent, had already logged several weeks in the studio.

There's no word on when the new album will hit stores. Repo! The Genetic Opera is on track for a 2008 release.