Talk about having an impressive ensemble. “Crazy Heart” helmer Scott Cooper has already lined up a remarkable array of players for "Out of the Furnace," his first directorial effort since his breakout hit landed actor Jeff Bridges a Best Actor Oscar. The Black List-approved script is set in Indiana in 1986 and follows Slim (Christian Bale), recently released from prison, who intends to marry his girlfriend (Zoe Saldana) but instead is drawn into a quest for revenge when his brother (Casey Affleck) is murdered after getting involved in the gambling racket. This supposedly “No Country For Old Men”-like picture also has Sam Shepard, Woody Harrelson and Forest Whitaker, and has now added one more exceptional thespian to the mix.
Willem Dafoe, a talent who requires no introduction, is joining the cast in this gritty tale based on a script initially by Brad Inglesby that was titled “The Low Dwellers." There are little details on who exactly Dafoe will play, but it’s a character named John Petty, so perhaps Black List mavens can tip us on what that is. But from bringing his crazed and enthralling performances to tentpoles like “Spider-Man” and Oliver Stone’s “Platoon,” Dafoe has done it all. You can catch him in the recent eco-thriller “The Hunter” and in all his CGI motion capture glory in “John Carter.” Around the corner, he's got roles in the Stephen Sommers-directed “Odd Thomas” with Anton Yelchin, along with a role opposite Michelle Monaghan and Stephen Dorff in “Tomorrow You're Gone." But no word yet if he'll reteam with Lars von Trier for his two-part sex epic “The Nymphomaniac" (he's already been offered a part).
"Out of the Furnace" is now in front of cameras, and yes, we'll looking forward to it as much as you are.