David O. Russell had a bad reputation for working with actors thanks to on-set brush-ups with George Clooney (on Three Kings) and Lily Tomlin (on I Heart Huckabees). But he appears to have mellowed severely over the years, and now his cast members often return for the director’s follow-up gigs. Mark Wahlberg has been in multiple Russell films, from Kings to The Fighter. And now another one of the director’s Silver Linings Playbook leads is throwing their name into the ring for his latest feature.
Jennifer Lawrence has agreed to star opposite Russell veterans Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale in the new film formerly known as American Bullshit, a period drama about the takedown of crooked U.S. senators for multiple instances of public corruption. Deadline breaks the news of Lawrence’s involvement, saying that the Hunger Games actress will play Bale’s wife in the drama/thriller, which will be developed at Sony Pictures.
The story is set to follow the true-life investigation known as ABSCAM, which was a sting operation set up by the FBI out of the organization’s Long Island offices that targeted government officials who had been collecting bribes. The actions of a team of investigators brought to justice one U.S. senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey state senate, several members of the Philadelphia City Council, and many more members of the chain of command.
Russell’s film, which is now on the hunt of a new title, has other names in the mix, including Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams and Louis CK on-board. It sounds like there are several juicy parts in Russell’s drama, which he wants to have in theaters in 2014. But what do you think about getting Lawrence in the next Russell film?
