Melissa Leo (Frozen River) has signed on to star in Bona Fide Productions and Voltage Pictures’ The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Deadline has reported.
Leo, who won an Academy Award for her performance in last year’s The Fighter, will star opposite Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia), Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) and Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale) in the dramedy.
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman will centre on a man (LaBeouf) who falls for a woman who has been claimed by a violent crime boss. Newcomer Fredrik Bond will direct from a screenplay written by Matt Drake (Project X).
Filming is scheduled to take place over the summer months, with a release being eyed for the latter half of 2013. Distribution rights have been pre-sold to Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (Switzerland), Midget Entertainment (Denmark) and VVS Films (Canada).
Leo will next be seen in Flight, opposite Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly and John Goodman.
