Following The Road, director John Hillcoat spent a lot of time trying to get The Wettest County In The World off the ground, but even interest from actors like Shia LaBeouf, Ryan Gosling, Scarlet Johnasson, Paul Dano and Michael Shannon couldn’t get anyone to pony up the cash and make it, as they didn’t think it had enough commercial potential.
However it appears LaBeouf and Hillcoat haven’t given up on working with one another, as The Wrap says the duo are circling a spec script by Matt Cooke called Triple Nine. Neither are yet officially in talks to join the film, but both have expressed interest.
According to The Wrap, ‘The story concerns a group of crooked cops planning a major heist who realise they must shoot one of their own in order to get away with it. The lead character is an upstanding young officer who they choose as their victim. 999 is the police code indicating that an officer needs immediate assistance.’
As yet it’s all very early stages, and it’s more than possible the film will end up being made with a different director and star, but at the moment Hillcoat and LaBeouf have the inside track, even though both have pretty full schedules at the moment.