Charlie Hunnam In, Shia LaBeouf Out For John Hillcoat's 'Triple Nine'; Cate Blanchett & Christoph Waltz Lining Up Roles

Cate BlanchettThe bad news? Well, when we last spoke to John Hillcoat, he said he was aiming to shoot his cop flick “Triple Nine” this spring. That didn’t happen. The good news? It looks like it’s coming together, and he’s putting together a pretty sweet cast to go along with it.

Though the director’s “Lawless” star Shia LaBeouf had been attached for a while, The Wrap reports that he’s out and “Sons Of Anarchy” and “Pacific Rim” hunk Charlie Hunnam is now in. Even more, Oscar winners Cate Blanchett and Christoph Waltz are now in talks for the movie as well. Yeah, that sounds perfectly fine to us, and it seems like just as on “Lawless,” some great actors are eager to work with Hillcoat. And the material sounds very promising, indeed.

Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures are backing the movie that centers on a group of crooked L.A. police officers who realize they must shoot one of their own in order to get away with planning a major heist. They choose as their victim a rookie and honorable young officer, played by Hunnam. (Triple nine is the police code that signifies that an officer is down and needs urgent and immediate assistance). Waltz would play Hunnam’s uncle and a cop investigating the heist, while Blanchett will get to be bad as a mobster’s wife who’s behind the whole thing. Damn.

Adding to the potential of the flick: it has a Black List approved script by Matt Cook and oh yeah, Nick Cave is likely going to reteam with his bud Hillcoat and score the flick. The aim is start lensing before 2013 is out, which makes sense given that Hunnam will star in Guillermo Del Toro‘s gothic horror “Crimson Peak” which starts shooting in early 2014. So a new John Hillcoat flick for next year? Fingers crossed but it sure looks like it.