Benjamin McKenzie has signed up to appear opposite Al Pacino in thriller 88 Minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Directed by Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes), the movie centres on a college professor (Pacino) who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI and the events that follow when he receives a death threat informing him that he has only 88 minutes to live.

McKenzie, who plays Ryan Atwood in The O.C., will play a student of Pacino's character who is also a suspect in his investigation.