River Phoenix final film 'Dark Blood' to be released after 18 years

River Phoenix's final film Dark Blood will finally be released after 18 years, according to director George Sluizer.

Sluizer hid the original Dark Blood footage following Phoenix's death on Halloween night in 1993, but recently began re-editing the project.

The Dutch filmmaker has said he'll ask the actor's brother Joaquin Phoenix to provide voiceover for River's character.

Sluizer told The Hollywood Reporter: "The voices of both brothers are very much alike."

Dark Tale is the story of a man (Phoenix) who begins an affair with a married woman (Judy Davis) as he awaits the end of the world.

Sluizer expects Dark Tale to be released sometime in 2012, although the title may be changed due to rights disputes.

River starred in many hit films during his short life, including director Rob Reiner's coming-of-age drama Stand By Me and Running on Empty.

He received both an Independent Spirit Award and the Venice Film Festival's Volpi Cup for his portrayal of a street hustler in 1991's My Own Private Idaho.

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Watch footage from Dark Blood taken from a German-language documentary on George Sluizer below: