Aaron Johnson & Taylor Kitsch Look Set To Star
It’s kind of funny how things work sometimes. Last month when Jennifer Lawrence first entered talks to star in Oliver Stone‘s “Savages,” a handful of other names were mentioned for roles at the time including Benicio Del Toro. In subsequent reports — including the announcement of Lawrence’s departure due to “The Hunger Games” — his name again seemed to be absent, but lo and behold he’s the one left standing.
Deadline reports the Benicio Del Toro has signed on Oliver’s Stone’s thriller “Savages.” Based on Don Winslow‘s book, the story follows two pot growers—Ben and Chon—who square off against a Mexican drug cartel when their shared girlfriend O is kidnapped and held for ransom. Del Toro will play an enforcer for the cartel. Sweet.
Additionally, it appears the roles of Ben and Chon are locked. An offer was floated to Aaron Johnson with Taylor Kitsch also recently linked to play opposite him. Deadline reveals that the duo are now set to star, with Johnson as Ben and Kitsch as Chon. Meanwhile, Olivia Wilde is one actress of a handful vying for O, while Salma Hayek is being eyed for the part of the matriarch of the cartel.
We’ll pretty much watch anything with Del Toro in it, but the material seems like some great pulpy fare and it looks like Stone is assembling a pretty killer cast. Production on “Savages” is aiming to start in June.
