French actress Isabelle Huppert has been a force in the film world for quite a while now, winning Best Actress awards at Cannes for her work in Violette and The Piano Teacher, and a César for her role in La Cérémonie. Though she’s really only appeared in I Heart Huckabees and episodes of Law & Order: SVU in English-speaking roles (as far as I know?), she’s been a top international actress long enough that most everyone interested in acting and such Stateside should have an idea of who she is.
Niels Arden Oplev hasn’t been around the scene for quite as long, but after he took the world by storm directing the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, he solidified his place on the list of filmmakers that everyone is keeping their eyeballs on. His success launching that franchise has led to his latest project, Dead Man Down, signing mainstream names like Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, and Dominic Cooper to its cast. Though shooting on the film started last week in Philadelphia, apparently we’re not at the end of the good news when it comes to its cast.
Deadline Ville d’Avray is reporting that Huppert herself – you know, the lady from the first paragraph – has joined the film, in a role that will start shooting sometime in late May.
Dead Man Down is described as being an action thriller, where Farrell stars as a man infiltrating a crime ring responsible for the death of his family. There isn’t yet any word on what sort of role Huppert will be playing, but she’s always great when she’s playing a stern taskmistress, so let’s go ahead and hope that she’s going to get the chance to act villainous as some sort of high ranking mafioso. That sounds sexy just typing it.