Actress Amber Tamblyn has signed on to co-star with Sarah Michelle Gellar in The Grudge 2.

Tamblyn will play the younger sister of Gellar's character, who will return briefly to pass on the movie's supernatural curse.

The actress is best-known for her role in US TV drama Joan Of Arcadia and has also appeared in The Ring and The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants.

The movie will start filming next month in Tokyo, Japan, and is set to be released in October in the US.

The Grudge was a surprise hit in 2004 and made more than $188 million worldwide.

Director Takahashi Shimizu, writer Stephen Susco and producers Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise are all returning for the sequel.