For a long time Tom Cruise and Eric Bana were circling the starring role in James Mangold‘s follow-up to Walk the Line, the Western remake 3:10 to Yuma as Relativity Media has stepped in to finance the film after Columbia Pictures put it in turnaround.
Cruise was first mentioned for the role of small-time rancher in the film back in February, but now the two lead roles belong to Christian Bale and Russell Crowe in the film based on the 1957 film that starred Glenn Ford as captured outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe), who finds himself in the custody of small-time rancher Dan Evans (Bale). The rancher is secretly trying to take the outlaw to a railway station to catch a train to Yuma for the outlaw’s court date. A battle of wills ensues.
Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Stuart Beattie have all contributed to the screenplay. The movie is on track for a fall shoot.
