Things are moving quite swiftly for the new Bleiberg Entertainment action drama McCanick, seeing as we’ve just got word on the director, writer and stars of the project. According to Variety, David Morse, Brandon Routh and Glee star Cory Monteith will serve as the acting talent, with Josh C. Waller (Raze) directing from a script by BelieversDaniel Noah.

Morse will play narcotics detective Eugene “Mack” McCanick, “who gets caught up in a firestorm of paranoia and violence upon learning that a seemingly harmless young criminal (Monteith) has been released from prison. Over the course of one long, hot day, Mack and his partner (Routh) mercilessly hunt down the perp, who holds the secret to a truth from Mack’s past.” Bleiberg Entertainment CEO Ehud Bleiberg will produce alongside Waller and Morse, with Nicholas Donnermeyer executive producing with Noah. Bleiberg stating the following on the project and its stars, “The opportunity to work with David Morse is so special. He’s a fantastic actor that we’ve all respected for years and I can’t wait to see what he brings to this character.”

The film will achieve a more 1970’s classic cop film feel, citing The French Connection and Serpico as influences, as it will be a “rich character study featuring rousing action as it depicts a battle for one cop’s soul.” Waller also added to Bleierg‘s word commenting, “David has worked very closely with Daniel and I on this project and we honestly couldn’t be any happier. This film is full of intense, emotional characters and I’m excited to see actors like Cory Monteith and Brandon Routh gravitate towards these roles that are, perhaps, very different than what they are known for.”

I’m intrigued at seeing Monteith play a “young criminal”, for the mere fact that I’m used to seeing him don a Letterman jacket while singing and dancing in the world of Glee. After nabbing the role of Superman back in 2006 for Superman Returns, as Waller stated, it will be nice to see Routh break out of the good-looking boyish roles he’s played in the past. There’s no doubt that Morse has had a lengthy and successful career thus far, and I think he’ll make an excellent anchor for the younger stars to gravitate around. He currently has a spot on HBO’s Treme and will also play alongside Brad Pitt in World War Z next sumer.

Shooting for McCanick gears up this September in Philadelphia.

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