The cast for Daniel Espinoza’s Soviet-era thriller Child 44 was already looking pretty strong, but it’s moved into truly stellar territory with the announcement today that four-time Oscar nominee Philip Seymour Hoffman will likely join the production, which is currently filming in the Czech Republic. Hoffman joins Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Paddy Condastin, and Fares Fares in a the Ridley Scott-produced film.
Revelations at the end of last month that Hoffman briefly checked into a rehab program to combat resurgent substance abuse (Hoffman had been sober since problems with drugs and alcohol in his late teens and early 20s), including heroin use, don’t seem to have much impacted the career of the industry mainstay. Hoffman plays a key role in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and will also appear in Anton Corbijn’s (The American) A Most Wanted Man, which with Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Daniel Bruhl, and Willem Dafoe boasts an impressive cast in its own right. Hoffman is also developing a thriller titled Ezekiel Moss, which he plans to direct, although details on the status of the project are sparse at the moment. He previously directed 2010’s indie effort Jack Goes Boating, which saw a limited theatrical release after being generally well-received on the festival circuit.
There’s no word yet on what Hoffman’s role will be in Child 44. The movie is expected to release sometime next year.