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Michael Fassbender Commits To Ridley Scott’s The Counsellor

Will play lawyer in Cormac McCarthy-scripted thriller.

Michael Fassbender has been confirmed as the lead in Ridley Scott's next film The Counsellor.

The actor was rumoured to be taking the lead in the Cormac McCarthy-scripted thriller, and his casting has now been officially announced by Deadline.

In an incredible meeting of Hollywood talent, The Counsellor is an original screenplay from No Country for Old Men author McCarthy. In fact, insiders are describing the project as "No Country For Old Men on steroids".

Fassbender will play a respected lawyer who feels confident enough to get involved in the drug business without repercussions. Producer Steven Schwartz said ""Since McCarthy himself wrote the script, we get his own muscular prose directly, with his sexual obsessions. It’s a masculine world into which, unusually, two women intrude to play leading roles. McCarthy’s wit and humour in the dialogue make the nightmare even scarier. This may be one of McCarthy’s most disturbing and powerful works."

The villain and two female leads are yet to be cast. Names such as Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Brad Pitt are being bandied about for the baddie, which will be a coveted role - Javier Bardem won an Oscar for the last bad guy McCarthy wrote.

Scott will begin shooting on 1st May. He and Fassbender recently worked together on Alien quasi-prequel Prometheus, which arrives this June. Fassbender is to work on a film version of Irish legend Cuchulainn, a story of a Celtic warrior dating back to the 8th century. Fassbender is working on the story with Public Enemies writer Ronan Bennett, with the pair developing it through their Finn McCool Films production company.