The Indian-American star will begin filming in Oman, Jordan, in mid-February.
The English-speaking film “Pirates Blood" will star veteran Omani actor Salim Bahwan and an international supporting cast, and will be shot by noted South Indian cinematographer Ramachhandran Babuk.
Leone, who is of Asian Indian descent, has a large fanbase amongst Indian movie fans, and has been featured several times in Indian-American and international mainstream publications for her work in the adult industry.
"We are delighted that Sunny will have this mainstream breakthrough,” L.A. Direct owner Derek Hay said, whose talent agency represents Leone. “She has already been described by the Arabic press as 'Indian-America's Marilyn Monroe.' She is beautiful, talented and a brilliant choice for this movie as her appearance will appeal to both her Indian and American fans."
Leone, who has only appeared in girl/girl scenes up to this point, also is generating increasing interest in her adult career, as her first boy/girl title “Sunny Loves Matt” is slated to release March 5.
Her latest self-titled release, “The Sunny Experiment,” directed by Vivid contract director B. Skow, hit shelves in January.
"Sunny's popularity has soared since she joined Vivid,” Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch said. “She has an enormous fan base that is already pre-ordering "Sunny Loves Matt," and we believe that as the first adult star to go Bollywood, she is marking another milestone in movie history.
"The increasing popularity of Indian cinema has also been referred to by the press as ‘Bollywood mania.' It is driving moviemakers to be more innovative and casting Sunny as the female lead in ‘Pirates Blood’ is a step in that direction," Hirsch said.
“Bollywood” is a well-known term for the cinematic industry of India. With more than 800 titles released each year and Indian theatre ticket admissions accounting for up to 73 percent of theatre sales for all of southeast Asia. The popularity of Indian cinema is well established, with Bollywood movies being shown in various countries including Pakistan, several Arabic countries, Nepal, Bangladesh, and countries with large populations of Asian Indian residents.
Several mainstream U.S. stars reportedly have expressed the desire to pursue Bollywood film projects, including Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Cameron Diaz, Peter Weir and Will Smith.
