Whatever criticisms one may have regarding John Hillcoat's Lawless, or any of his prior films for that matter, one thing he's always been able to do is piece together a great cast. He's slowly but steadily been doing the same for his long-brewing cop thriller, Triple Nine, and last summer we saw Charlie Hunnam come in to replace Shia LaBeouf, with Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz coming aboard. Now there's been some more shuffling at the top, but it also brings along two potential Oscar contenders.
Charlie Hunnam has now left the film, to be replaced by Casey Affleck who has had one heck of a year with Ain't them Bodies Saints and Out of the Furnace. He may be joined by Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan and Chiwetel Ejiofor of 12 Years a Slave, both figuring pretty heavily in the Best Actor race. The Black List-approved script by Matt Cook will have Affleck as a young and honorable LA cop who is marked for death by his crooked colleagues in order to distract from a heist they're planning. Jordan will play a good cop working with Affleck to infiltrate the group, while Ejiofor is a criminal behind the heist.
Sweet casting all around, and with Nick Cave likely to hook Hillcoat up with another fantastic score there's every reason to think Triple Nine will be something special. Filming is expected to begin next year. [TheWrap]
