Vanessa Hudgens is in final negotiations to star in Gimme Shelter, an indie drama that will also star Brendan Fraser. Ron Krauss is writing and directing the pic, which is eyeing an end of May start in Connecticut.

The script centers on a pregnant, homeless teen, to be played by Hudgens, who flees her abusive mother and seeks out her biological father. He first takes her in but then throws her out when she refuses to abort her child. Fraser is the girl’s dad, who fathered her as a result of a youthful fling.

Producing are Kraus, Jeff Rice and Dama Claire.

Shelter continues Hudgens’ efforts to move beyond her past teen-queen image. She came into the public’s eye with Disney’s High School Musical movies before moving to Zack Snyder’s ensemble fantasy Sucker Punch, and she has New Line’s family adventure movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island opening in September. Shelter will be her first purely dramatic feature role.

Vanessa Hudgens, Brendan Fraser to Star in Indie Drama Gimme Shelter (Exclusive) - The Hollywood Reporter

This street-wise, 16 year old girl who calls herself Apple has never had an easy life. Her mother is a junkie and prostitute, is verbally and physically abusive, and is grooming her daughter to follow in her footsteps.

Apple knows the streets, alleys and motels like the back of her hand but wants more from her life. She possesses a tenacious, tough, indomitable spirit, and will not surrender to fate. Apple runs away from her mother and tracks down her father whom she has never known, as he was only 19 himself when he got Apple’s mother pregnant. Apple begs her now Wall Street Broker father to take her in. In the few days under her father’s care she learns she’s become pregnant by a kid from the streets she met on the train, who now wants nothing to do with her. She is forced to leave her father’s home because of her choice to give birth to the baby she carrying.

Apple runs away again, and is eventually taken under the wing of Father McCarthy, the chaplain of the local hospital after almost getting herself killed. He offers to let Apple live at a shelter for pregnant young women run by a spiritual woman named Kathy. It is here that Apple begins to tentatively interact with the other girls who are in the same predicament as she and gradually begins to make a family for herself.

Movie Audition – teen girl ‘Gimme Shelter’ | Auditions Free | Free Audition Notices and Casting Calls

Vanessa Hudgens is about to bring the drama to the big screen in her upcoming indie film, "Gimme Shelter." The young actress will take on the role of a troubled pregnant teen who flees her abusive mother to find her biological father. As Hudgens' first purely dramatic feature role, the film is a big change from her days as a singing star in "High School Musical."

MTV News caught up with Hudgens on the red carpet for the Calvin Klein Women in Independent Film event at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night, where she talked about her challenging new role.

"It's really exciting. It follows a young girl that's been in foster homes and abused her whole life and is practically homeless and ends up turning into a mother," Hudgens said. "So it's an amazing character."

The film, written and directed by Ron Krauss, also stars Brendan Fraser, who will play Hudgens' father in the film. According to the actress, the rest of the cast is "still in the works." Given that shooting begins soon, the other members of the cast should be confirmed shortly.

"I leave from [Cannes] and go straight to New York and start my prep," Hudgens said.

Vanessa Hudgens Talks New Indie Film, Love Of 'Glee' - MTV Movie News| MTV