When you lay out the manner in which its been shaping up, Breacher looks remarkably strong. Now, you can say all you like about Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s sudden re-assimilation into the multiplexes — it’s a “wait and see” type of deal, if you ask me — or the pros and cons of Sam Worthington‘s presence. Even with all that being argued, David Ayer is working toward something I have legitimate hopes for.

Add one more positive to the pile, as THR tell us Olivia Williams (The Ghost Writer, this winter’s Hyde Park on Hudson) has signed to star alongside the two aforementioned leads, along with Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Malin Akerman, and Dawn Olivieri. Not too bad. Update: Deadline also reportes that Max Martini is in talks to join as Pyro, “a member of the elite DEA team at the heart” of the David Ayer’s thriller.

Thanks to Skip Woods‘ screenplay, we can expect to see Williams as “a tenaciously cutthroat detective who’s investigating the team murders.” (If you weren’t aware, Breacher centers on a team of DEA agents who are murdered, one-by-one, after trying to rob a cartel in what would appear to be a routine drug bust.) And, yeah, that’s the kind of role she can do a just-fine job with. It might amount to much, and that’s a slight shame — she deserves starring parts, as far as I’m concerned — though I have little doubt it’ll be fun to watch.

Breacher will start shooting in October.

Then there’s a small bit of casting buried in Deadline. While the tragic passing of his brother forced Ridley Scott to halt production on The Counselor for this week, things have still been going on behind-the-scenes — a solid addition, namely. In that territory, it’s reported that Goran Višnjić (Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) will be taking an undisclosed part amidst the Cormac McCarthy-scripted southern violence.

Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, Dean Norris, Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo, and Natalie Dormer have all been signed for The Counselor, which we should expect to hit in late 2013.

Could Williams fit into the masculine company of Breacher? Is Višnjić an interesting addition to The Counselor?