Billy Bob Thornton was in talks to take the main villain role in Scott Cooper’s Out Of The Furnace, but it now appears that he’s dropped out of contention. Still, never fear: Woody Harrelson is looking at picking up the criminal mantle.
Assuming he locks in a deal, Harrelson will play Curtis DeGroat, the leader of a violent crime ring who lures Casey Affleck into his dangerous web. Something very bad happens to poor Casey and Affleck’s on-screen brother, played by Christian Bale, swears revenge. He is temporarily delayed by the small matter of being in pokey, but once he gets out of prison, Bale decides to make good on his promise.
Zoe Saldana is locked in to play the love of Bale’s life and Sam Shepard will be his uncle. Forest Whitaker is even now working out a contract to play a sleazy bookie involved in Affleck’s death.
Cooper, who last directed** Crazy Heart**, has written the latest draft of the script and is looking to kick off shooting in the next few months.
Harrelson is having something of a banner year: indie drama Rampart saw him win acclaim for his role as a corrupt cop and The Hunger Games (in which he plays Haymitch Abernathy) is quickly becoming one of the most successful films of 2012.