UPDATED:  Viggo “Free Ballin'” Mortensen is being sought for THE MAIN GUY (aka villain) of the piece.  Awesome.  I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure he was looked at as a potential Ra’s Al Ghul for Batman Begins back in the day.  Looks like cinema’s greatest Lucifer might finally take on the Bat after all.

Casey Affleck, Garret Hedlund, Channing Tatum, and Taylor Kitsch are all being eyed for the role of the eventually dead brother.  Does anyone else feel like Affleck is the odd man out here?  Interesting.  Oh, and Duvall will supposedly be playing Bale’s uncle if (more like when) he signs up.

 

Out of the Furnace (formerly The Low Dweller) is a project that has been kicking around for awhile now.  Hell, it was originally going to be Ridley’s follow-up to Body of Lies, re-teaming him with Leonardo DiCaprio, before Robin Hood came along.  As is generally the case in H-town, things change.

It was announced yesterday that Christian Bale is in talks for the lead and director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) will be steering the ship.  Cooper is expected to bring pal Robert Duvall into the fold as well.  Scott and DiCaprio remain on board as producers.  The revenge drama plays out as follows…

Out of the Furnace tells the story of a man who is released after serving four years in prison to find his brother brutally murdered. Abandoning all hopes of a peaceful homecoming, he sets off to exact revenge on his brother’s killers.

The intent here is for Bale to shoot the film this spring before beginning his promotional commitments for The Dark Knight Rises and the start of production of the first of his upcoming Malick duo, Knight of Cups.  Post-Cups, Bale is slated for roles in Malick’s Lawless and Zack Snyder’s The Last Photograph.  Busy, busy, busy!

 

Source | THR, Variety