It’d be safe to bet John Hillcoat and Shia LaBeouf had a good experience on Lawless, if only (not that this is so minor) because the pair looked to make a reunion on Triple Nine. The cop thriller has been percolating for more than a couple of years, and these two been the only consistent staple throughout — Chris Pine and Jeff Bridges were always rumored, but never anything else — though their Prohibition actioner had curtailed plans for the time being. Now, perhaps forever.

First, here’s a quick synopsis of the Matt Cooke-written screenplay:

“A group of crooked cops planning a major heist realize they must shoot one of their own in order to get away with it. The lead character is an upstanding young officer who they choose as their victim.”

During a talk with ComingSoon, Hillcoat let slip that he and LaBeouf may not, as a matter of record, get Triple Nine off the ground together. Schedules are the problem, unsurprisingly, but that doesn’t mean the thing is suddenly stuck in place; the director thinks something really good is in store here, actor-wise.

You can read the quote below:

“I don’t think it’s going to be with Shia after all his schedule thing, but it’s a huge ensemble, so it’s all in relation to balancing people’s dates so that is still being worked out actually. I do want to work with Shia again on something if this one doesn’t work out. and I’ve been offered to do this contemporary urban kind of thriller, so we’ll see. Ensembles are really tricky because of the balance of availability and schedules and all that.”

The contents of that ensemble are not to our knowledge, but Hillcoat had mentioned, if only in passing, the chance to reteam with Lawless actors Tom Hardy and Guy Pearce. (The latter has done his time as a Los Angeles cop, if you don’t remember.) Although I do tend to enjoy LaBeouf‘s onscreen presence, given the proper role, and while it would have been interesting to see some branching out, placing a big name in the open spot — as well as some in the periphery — would clear things up just right. I’ll count on him to get that done.

How do you feel about this parting of ways on Triple Nine?