Jeremy Renner takes over for Christian Bale in "American Bullshit."
Would you consider Jeremy Renner for Christian Bale to be a fair trade? David O. Russell and Sony Pictures seem to think so. Variety reports that Renner is set to replace Bale in Russell’s “American Bullshit.” Yes, it’s getting a title change.
The script, written by Eric Singer, tells the true story of “a notorious financial con artist and his mistress who were forced to work with an intense and ambitious FBI agent to turn the tables on other con artists, mobsters and politicians.” Bradley Cooper is in talks to star as Mel Weinberg, “who worked with the FBI as the star witness in its far-reaching Abscam corruption case that stretched from Atlantic City all the way to the steps of Congress.” Renner would play Jimmy Boyle, the FBI agent who tracks down Weinberg and then gets him to help out with the sting.
Cooper and Russell just worked together on “The Silver Linings Playbook.” Renner, meanwhile, starred in “The Avengers” earlier this year and has “The Bourne Legacy” coming out in August. That will be a big test where we see if Renner can carry a film–though if it is a hit we’ll undoubtedly hear that it’s the franchise name that made the film succeed.
