James Gandolfani And James Frecheville Looking To Join ANIMAL RESCUE

Variety reports that actor James Gandolfini is looking to return the crime genre with a role in Animal Rescue. James is currently in talks for the project from director Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead) that stars Tom Hardy (Inception, Warrior, Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max Fury Road), Noomi Rapace (Dead Man Down, Dragon Tattoo, Prometheus) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead, Rust And Bone). His last roles were Killing Them Softly as an alcoholic hitman (one of the more compelling characters in the film) and a small part in Zero Dark Thirty.

Twitch also reports that Aussie actor James Frecheville has also taken a role. The young actor is best known as the lead in the Aussie thriller Animal Kingdom which helped the Hollywood profiles of Jackie Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly, Dark Knight Rises) and Sullivan Stapleton (Gangster Squad, 300: Rise of An Empire).

Matthias Schoenaerts Joins Tom Hardy And Noomi Rapace In ANIMAL RESCUE

ThePlaylist is reporting that Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead, Rust And Bone) has joined the cast of Animal Rescue in a supporting role. He'll be re-teaming with Bullhead director Michael Roskam with Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace in the leads.

Matthais Schoenaerts Lines Up Roles In THE FAITHFULL, THE ARDENNES And SUITE FRANCAISE

Matthais Schoenaerts is having a fantastic year with the success of his film Rust And Bone. Which looks like it could end up earning a bunch of Oscar nominations if previous awards nominations over the year are any indication. He could very well end up walking away with a Best Actor nomination. Matthais has since lined-up a couple of future projects.

He's attached to a dark comedy The Ardennes which is described as Trainspotting meets Fargo. A road movie centering on three young Belgian losers who embark on a trip to the Ardennes forest, near the border of France, to get rid of a corpse. Another project is the French-set WWII drama Suite Francaise from director Saul Dibb (The Dutchess) which co-stars Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas. It focuses on a love affair between a young French woman (Williams) and the German officer (Schoenaerts) assigned to watch her in Nazi-occupied France. [DailyMail]

He'll also be joining another Belgian production The Faithfull. The film-noir is will be directed by Michael Roskam who helmed Bullhead which starred Matthias. That film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. The Faithfull will be another gangster flick focusing on a crime syndicate in Brussels and is expected to shoot in Spring 2014. Roskam will be busy before The Faithfull lenses as well. He will be directing Animal Rescue which was scripted by author Dennis Lehane (Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River) for Fox Searchlight. The Boston-set crime drama has Tom Hardy (Warrior, Dark Knight Rises) attached and Noomi Rapace (Dragon Tattoo, Dead Man Down, Prometheus) circling the female lead. [Variety]

Noomi Rapace Could Join Tom Hardy In ANIMAL RESCUE

Deadline reports that Tom Hardy is in final talks to star in Michael K. Roskam's (Bullhead) Animal Rescue. While Noomi Rapace (Prometheus, Dragon Tattoo) has been offered the female role of the film. The Boston set drama from author Dennis Lehane (Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, Shuter Island) focuses on a man who wants to shed his criminal path but somehow gets mixed up in a bad heist and a killing resulting from a lost and contested pit bull. Hardy recently wrapped production on Mad Max Fury Road with Animal Rescue looking to start shooting in March. Having Hardy and Rapace in one film seems like a solid match of badasses not to mention how intense Roskam's Oscar nominated thriller Bullhead was.

Tom Hardy Could Star In Crime Thriller ANIMAL RESCUE

Variety reports that Tom Hardy (Inception, Dark Knight Rises) is in talks to take a role in Animal Rescue. The Boston crime drama is based on a short story from author Dennis Lehane with Michael Roskam (Bullhead) attached to direct. Lehane's novels Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River have been previously been adapted into awards caliber films. Dennis wrote the script himself which could mean it's going to be another solid outing.

“crime drama [that] follows a lonely Boston bartender who rescues a puppy from a garbage can and becomes the target of the dog’s abusive and mentally unstable former owner, while simultaneously getting caught in the middle of a criminal conspiracy playing out in his mob-controlled bar.”