Zach Gilford, who plays Matt Saracen on Friday Night Lights, has signed on to star in two new big-screen roles:

1. Opposite Emmy Rossum in the indie drama Dare.
2. A movie adaptation of the 1983 Sierra Club novel The River Why.

Dare is being directed by Adam Salky, who also directed the 2005 short film on which the feature is being based.

Zach Gilford plays one of three bad boy high school seniors who break their own rules and take the biggest risks of their lives.

He joins a cast including Ashley Springer (Teeth), Ana Gasteyer (Saturday Night Live), and Sandra Bernhard. Shooting is already underway.

Friday Night Lights' Zach Gilford: Coming to the big screen.

For River, Zach Gilford is set to play Gus Overton in the story of a young fisherman who leaves his big-city home and goes on a journey of self-discovery along the Oregon river.

Matt Leutwyler (Unearthed) is directing from a script by Thomas A. Cohen and John Jay Osborn Jr. Shooting is scheduled to start later this summer.

Not to worry, Zach will be back on Friday Night Lights, which is set to begin Season 3 in October on DirecTV and early next year on NBC.