Kaylee Hottle Was Preparing For New Film In Months Before Death

Kaylee Hottle was signed on and preparing to shoot a superhero film at the time of her tragic death ... TMZ has learned.

The actress signed on to star in the film "What Doesn't Kill Us" in 2024, and the final script was expected to be finished in August 2026. A production start date had yet to be set.

Screenwriter Andy Mingo tells TMZ ... he and co-writer Anna Campbell are currently grieving Kaylee's death but believe her character will be kept in the script.

Andy says they need to chat with Elliot and Lucas Woolrich, who created the concept for the film, but added ... "I think [they will choose] to keep her character out of respect and keep her spirit in the film."

Without giving the whole plotline away, Andy tells TMZ "What Doesn't Kill Us" follows a group of disabled friends who have aspirations to be superheroes. Not like Marvel characters, he says, but they use their disabilities to their advantage.

TMZ has learned Kaylee's character is deaf, but her other senses are more powerful -- for instance, she has a heightened sense of pattern recognition.

Andy tells us, "We were truly looking forward to getting to work with someone so talented and are heartbroken by her death."

Anna shared a similar sentiment, saying ... "Kaylee was the kind of person who has been so spectacular and has made such an important impact on the industry. She didn't let her disability stop her and that’s exactly what we hope to perpetuate with a film like this. This is a great loss and we are devastated."

We broke the story ... Kaylee was pronounced dead at a Maryland hospital early Tuesday after the car she was riding in veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. Three people were inside the vehicle, but Kaylee was the only one who died.

We also obtained a photo of the wrecked 1995 Honda Accord from the crash, showing the vehicle with a heavily damaged front end.