Deadline has learned that Michael Fassbender (Shame) has joined the upcoming thriller The Counselor, from director Ridley Scott (Alien) and a screenplay by acclaimed author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men).

Deadline reports:

The protagonist is a respected lawyer who thinks he can dip a toe in to the drug business without getting sucked down. It is a bad decision and he tries his best to survive it and get out of a desperate situation.

As Scott eyes a May 1 start date, Deadline speculates a villain for the film may come in the form of “Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and even some unexpected candidates like Brad Pitt.”

With Fassbender and Scott’s involvement, The Counselor is quickly becoming one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood right now. As we told you when Scott was announced as director, the film has been described as being in the same vein as No Country for Old Men, which is a promising comparison. What do you think of Fassbender’s involvement?