I was happy enough to see Willem Dafoe and Matt Dillon come together on The Whiskey Bay, yet the crime thriller is still managing to cohere rather nicely. According to Deadline, Tom Berenger, Neal McDonoguh, Amy Smart, Frederick Weller (In Plain Sight), and Christopher Marquette (Kilimanjaro, Life During Wartime) will also star for debut director Chris Brinker.

We had previously been told that his debut, penned by Jonny Hirschbein, would follow “a veteran cop (Dafoe)” who uses “estranged white supremacist and ex-con, Jesse Wheeler (Dillon)” as an undercover agent against the man’s former Aryan Brotherhood brethren; this is reflected in the casting, as Berenger is coming on to appear as the group’s “amoral architect,” as Amy Smart has been signed for the role of Jesse‘s wife.

Should things work out, Whiskey Bay will end up being, in Brinker‘s words, “a movie which is reminiscent of my favorite style of crime movies from the 70’s and 80’s.” Given that we share an affinity for those sorts of cinematic turns, this writer can only hope it’s pulled off. If anything, they’re off to a good start.

Next, Deadline also report that Kaley Coco, Dennis Farina, Chris Klein, and Teri Polo are all starring in Scribble, an independent comedy helmed by casting director Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman. The film — also comprised, acting-wise, of Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Jonathan Bennett (Breaking Bad), and Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) — has been written by David Congalton and revolves around “a group of working people who want to be writers.” Let’s hope Bradley Cooper doesn’t steal their lost manuscripts.

Is Whiskey Bay happening under the right circumstances? Does Scribble have a good lineup?