He’ll play an accountant involved in a jewel heist in ’The Hard Easy.’

First Jessica Simpson, then Ashlee Simpson, and now Nick Lachey. The pop singer will follow his famous family onto the big screen with a supporting role in the indie film "The Hard Easy."

Just one week after his wife and a few days after his sister-in-law announced their first movie roles (see "Jessica Simpson Scores Daisy Duke Role" and "Ashlee Simpson To Play An Actress In ’Wannabe’ Flick"), Lachey started work on his flick, which began shooting September 15.

He plays an accountant who returns to his previous tough-guy ways to help some friends from his old neighborhood pull off a heist. Unbeknownst to Lachey’s team, another group of thieves is planning to rob the same jewelry store, causing some dangerous complications. The film also stars Henry Thomas, David Boreanaz, Bruce Dern and Peter Weller.

"He’s pairing up with his team to get out of some financial distress," producer Dan Levin said, "and it’s a life-threatening situation. It works in the vein of ’Boiler Room,’ where everything’s coming together but nothing is as it seems. It’s ironic and it’s funny, because all hell breaks out when the two teams come together, but it’s a drama."

Levin said director Ari Ryan picked Lachey after meeting with him and being impressed by his "natural style." Lachey’s time in front of the cameras - other than a guest spot on "I’m With Her" - had previously been limited to his stint on "The Newlyweds," but lately he’s picked up some more experience by landing a guest-starring role on "Charmed" for a six-episode arc, as well as shooting a cameo in the upcoming big-screen "Bewitched" adaptation.

"He was the first person our director met with, and he just has this presence," Levin said. "We were really fans of his, so when he said he wanted to start to move to acting, we thought it was a perfect fit. He’s the one we wanted. If someone feels they can do it, it doesn’t really matter if they haven’t done any acting. If you’re committed, you can do anything."

Levin said he bases this belief on having worked with another pop star named Nick - Nick Carter - on a series of three films: "The Hollow" (slated to air around Halloween on ABC Family), "The Brew" and "Blood on a Happy Face."

"[Carter] said all along, ’I’ve never done this, but I can remember anything,’ and it’s like his rehearsals and performances with the Backstreet Boys, he just knew he could do it," Levin said. "He came in and sort of auditioned, and he was fantastic. He held his own."

"The Hard Easy" is slated to finish shooting in and around Los Angeles on October 4 and should come out next year.

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