Less than two weeks ago we reported that the prolific Ridley Scott had already lined up his first post-Prometheus directing gig, and it wasn’t that Blade Runner sequel he’s been talking about lately. Scott signed on to direct The Counselor, which is the first original screenplay written by acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men). Now, the filmmaker has found his leading man, and it is another cinematic talent who likes to keep busy.

Michael Fassbender, soon to be seen as the android David in Prometheus, has taken the lead role of a respectable attorney who decides to dabble in the drug trade and ends up way over his head, as would be expected.

The actor has maintained a consistent presence in cinemas for the past year, playing the Marvel mutant militant Magneto in the summer superhero smash X-Men: First Class and a lonely sex addict in the independent drama Shame. Fassbender has received great acclaim for both performances and is keeping his schedule busy for the next year or so. Currently he is looking to re-team with Shame director Steve McQueen (who also directed Fassbender to a brilliant performance in the 2008 Irish drama Hunger) on the historical drama 12 Years a Slave and is expected to reprise his Magneto role in a First Class sequel.

Scott is still casting for the film’s villain and is looking to being filming The Counselor in May. Personally I couldn’t be happier by the developments on this movie. Fassbender has become one of my favorite actors of recent years and Scott, who was once attached to directing an adaptation of McCarthy’s epic western novel Blood Meridian, can still be an electrifying filmmaker given the right material. McCarthy can cook up a dark and absorbing thriller unlike most writers in the business, so here’s hoping his latest creation is a winner.

[Source: Coming Soon]