Jason Clarke is in talks to join his old pal Tom Hardy in Child 44, a Soviet-era thriller directed by Safe House man Daniel Espinosa.
If you're thinking, "Damn, I haven't seen the other 43 Child films," don't panic. This one is the first of a trilogy of books (sequel potential ahoy!) by English writer Tom Rob Smith, set in 1950s Russia. It would see Clarke lending his gruff skills to the duplicitous role of Brodsky, accused of treachery by Hardy's suspicious state security agent, Leo Demidov. The fraternal loyalty of **Lawless **is clearly long behind the pair.
It's a Byzantine world that the film explores. There's a mass murderer on the loose - the book is based, in part, on the crimes of Ukrainian serial killer Andrei Chikatilo - and Demidov is hunting down the killer down while dealing with untrustworthy spouses (Noomi Rapace), ambitious colleagues (Joel Kinnaman) and whatever sneakiness Philip Seymour Hoffman's character has in mind.
Child 44 is adapted by Sea Of Love writer Richard Price from a Smith's thriller. Ridley Scott is producing alongside Scott Free partner Michael Schaefer, while Lionsgate while be in charge of putting the thing into your local cinemajiggy.