John Krasinski Joins John Boyega & Co In Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit Riots Movie

If you think of one word when you think of the actor John Krasinski, it’s probably ‘adorable.’ He was deeply lovable in his breakout role in “The Office,” he’s been likable in big-screen film outings like “Away We Go,” “It’s Complicated and his own directorial outing “The Hollars,” and he’s decidedly swoonsome in his real-life romance with wife Emily Blunt.

But people forget that he very nearly had quite a different career: until Marvel were able to come to terms with Chris Evans, Krasinski was very nearly going to be Captain America, and there’s clearly a tougher side to the actor than we’ve mostly seen on screen. And that’s something he’s been trying to capitalize on recently: Krasinski starred earlier this year in Michael Bay’s Benghazi movie “13 Hours,” then signed up to play Tom Clancy’s best known hero in Amazon drama “Jack Ryan.” And now, having done a faux-Kathryn Bigelow movie with Bay, Krasinski’s signed on to the real thing, with a press release revealing he’s signed on to the “Hurt Locker” director’s Detroit riots movie.

Though mostly under wraps and still untitled, we know that the film is about systemic racism in the city, and the five-day riots that sparked from them in 1967. Krasinski stands out a bit as certainly the oldest member so far of a stellar young cast including John Boyega (who, per his Instagram, has already wrapped on the film), Will Poulter, Jacob Latimore, Algee Smith, Ben O’Toole, Jack Reynor, Anthony Mackie, Kaitlyn Dever and Hannah Murray. It’s a very promising line-up, and we’re intrigued to see how Krasinski fits into the mix. Shooting is currently underway, and the film will open next year.