Immediately after filming "Basic Instinct 2", he began work on "The Reaping" (2007) in Louisiana, in which he played science teacher Doug Blackwell opposite Hilary Swank. The role had been offered to him quite late in pre-production, and he flew to Baton Rouge the Monday after "Basic Instinct 2" wrapped. He took the role because he was a fan of Swank, and Hopkins' film "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (2004), and he preferred the thriller aspect of the "Reaping" script above the horror aspect. After a week of filming, production had to be suspended when Hurricane Katrina hit the state. He found the filming schedule quite demanding, particularly the three weeks of night filming and a scene in which his character is attacked by a plague of locusts, most of which were computer-generated in post-production but some were real on camera. "The Reaping" was released in 2007 and performed badly in cinemas. Despite the failures of both films, Morrissey was grateful that they opened him up to more film offers from Hollywood.