Red storm rising

Red_comicThe casting for Summit Entertainment’s adaptation of the Wildstorm Comics mini-series Red is hotting up. Julian McMahon, Ernest Borgnine, Richard Dreyfuss and Brian Cox are in negotiations to join Bruce Willis for Flightplan director Robert Schwentke’s new feature.

Red, originally written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner, tells the story of a former black-ops CIA agent now living a quiet life in retirement until the day a high-tech assassin shows up intent on killing him.

McMahon would play the Vice President, who is at the very heart of a massive conspiracy. 92 year-old Borgnine will play the keeper of the CIA’s darkest records, while Dreyfuss will be a wealthy man who builds a fortune out of lucrative government contracts. Cox takes the role of a former Cold War spy and nemesis of Willis, who plays the lead character. The line-up will also include Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John C. Reilly and Mary Louise Parker.

That’s some serious talent collected there and it’s great to see Wild Bunch star Borgnine still hard at work. I’m more than a little excited by the potential in this project. The film is scheduled to begin shooting early next year, for a projected November 2010 release.