Paul Walker is in New Orleans fighting to keep his newborn daughter alive in the wake of a devastating hurricane.  That's the premise of Walker's new suspense drama, Hours, which the The Fast and the Furious actor is currently filming in The Big Easy.  Walker stars as Nolan, a man grieving with the recent passing of his wife while attempting to keep his premature newborn daughter alive after they are abandoned in a New Orleans hospital during landfall of Hurricane Katrina.  Complicating matters are the rising floodwaters and frequent power outages that threaten to shut down his daughter's incubator.  The project is one that hits close to Walker's heart; he's a father to a 13-year-old daughter.  Subject matter aside, the reportedly long hours in front of the camera make this film one of Walker's toughest films yet.  Hours also stars Genesis Rodriguez (Casa de mi Padre) and was written and directed by Eric Heisserer (The Thing).  Hit the jump for much more on the project.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Walker, Heisserer and producer Peter Safran all spoke on the project.  Regarding Walker's role as a concerned father, the actor said:

“This father is doing everything he can to just keep things going, keep electricity going, to keep this little baby going. My little girl means the whole world to me. I really want to believe that if I was placed in the same situation that I would rise above, that I would be able to see it through the end and do what it would take to make sure my baby came out on top.”

And apparently he'll do a lot, as Safran commented on Walker's on-screen work as follows:

“Paul is literally in every scene. I love how this project challenges him.”

While the hook of this film may be in part to featuring Hurricane Katrina, debut director Heisserer has a different view of it:

“It’s about parenthood.  As I was writing this screenplay, I could see every scene.  There comes a point where you fall in love with a project so much you just can’t let go of it.”

Hours is expected to screen at Sundance next January with a release early in 2013.