Ever since he left a big impression in The Hurt Locker back in 2009, Anthony Mackie has had a big boost in his career. He recently appeared in The Adjustment Bureau, while he has both Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Real Steel coming out within the next year or so. Variety tells us that he’s just signed on for an upcoming film that we’re all pretty excited for.

That’s Gangster Squad, the Warner Bros.-distributed, Ruben Fleischer-directed period piece that has Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Michael Peña in its cast. Written by Will Beall, the movie follows Gosling and Brolin as police officers who are hunting down famed Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen, who will be played here by Penn. Mackie is said to be cast as “former LAPD lieutenant Rocky Washington,” a role that details haven’t been given out on. His addition only makes this great cast even better — this is all looking quite promising, and I can’t wait for shooting to begin later this year.

Variety also lets us know that A Better Life actor Demian Bichir is currently in talks for Oliver Stone‘s Savages. He’s playing Alex, who they describe as being “a two-timing attorney who works for Salma Hayek‘s cartel.” He’s been receiving some positive notices for his work in A Better Life as of late, while he’s also appeared in the Showtime series Weeds, and played Fidel Castro in Steven Soderbergh‘s Che.

Based on the book of the same name by Don Winslow, it follows two drug dealers in Laguna Beach – played by Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch - who must save their friend, O (Blake Lively) who has been kidnapped by the Mexican drug cartel. Benicio del Toro is playing the main enforcer of the cartel, and Hayek is playing Elena, the woman who looks after O while she’s in their custody. Emile Hirsch has an unspecified part, while Uma Thurman and John Travolta will have a Pulp Fiction reunion here, with the former playing O’s mother, while the latter is appearing as a “burned out DEA agent.”

It’s a project that has much potential behind it, and it’s one of the best-cast movies scheduled for release in 2012. Hopefully, this will allow Stone to make something a little more gritty and entertaining than what he’s been doing as of late, especially with Money Never Sleeps - one of his weaker films – being the last thing we saw from him.

What do you think of these actors joining these films? Are you excited for either one?