Without a doubt, the one film every actor in Hollywood wants to be a part of is The Counselor, and for very good reason. Not only does it feature the first original screenplay from one of this generation's finest authors in Cormac McCarthy(The Road), but it was quickly snapped up for production with Ridley Scott at the helm. Michael Fassbender quickly followed, taking on the lead role, with reports of numerous big names to come.
Last we'd heard, Brad Pitt, Jeremy Renner, and Javier Bardem were being looked at for the same role, that of the story's "villain", a man named Reiner who first lures Fassbender's lawyer into the drug trade he can't escape from. According to Twitch, Pitt appears to be out of the running, with Bardem as Scott's preferred choice. Assuming all the schedules align, he'll be there on set when production begins in May. Makes sense, considering Bardem fit into the McCarthy world so perfectly in No Country for Old Men. This is still very early, with both men in only very preliminary negotiations.
It's possible also that Natalie Portman's return from her pregnancy hiatus will be in this rather than the two upcoming films from Terrence Malick. She has entered early talks for the role of Laura, the female lead and fiancee to Fassbender's character. Portman's upcoming schedule is already tight enough, and if you throw in the Thor sequel she's going not going to have a moment's rest over the next year.
I'm holding out hope that both Renner and Bardem will find their way into the film, because it sounds like there are plenty of juicy roles to go around.
