In the time since he was first attached to “The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman,” Shia LaBeouf has knocked out a couple of "Transformers" movies, and even started his own graphic novel-penning career, while Zac Efron briefly took over the part. With LaBeouf back on board, however, he can finally put down his coloring-in kit: with news that two more established actors have joined the crime thriller, all seems ready to go.
Deadline and Variety report that Melissa Leo (who’s currently shooting the Tom Cruise vehicle “Oblivion” in New Orleans) and German superstar Til Schweiger ("King Arthur," "Inglourious Basterds") have joined the project, which is directed by commercials grad Fredrik Bond and written by Matt Drake (“Project X”). The storyline follows LaBeouf as the title character, a young man who falls in love with a woman (Evan Rachael Wood), who herself is already entwined with a congenial, insane mobster (played by Mads Mikkelsen). As Charlie questions his commitment to the cause, while also incurring beating upon beating, his deceased mother (played by Leo) pops up every so often to give him advice. James Buckley, one of the cast members of UK smash hit sitcom and movie "The Inbetweeners," is also being sought for a part: we'd wager a sidekick/comic relief of some kind.
The supernatural angle to the story definitely adds a new twist to the otherwise standard mob-vengeance plotline, but the interesting characters look to be the key here. With types such as Darko (played by Schweiger), a “Serbian gangster and former paramilitary fighter who relocated to Budapest to run a strip club and avoid a war crimes tribunal,” the film certainly may be a little more eccentric than some of its rivals. “The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman” is set to shoot early-May in Eastern Europe.