Martin McDonagh‘s In Bruges follow-up, Seven Psychopaths, hit something of a bump in the road when Mickey Rourke very publicly announced that he wouldn’t appear in the film. A slightly disappointing development for sure, but it’s been more than compensated for with Deadline‘s report that Woody Harrelson will replace Rourke in the film, while Tom Waits and Olga Kurylenko are also jumping on board.

Harrelson is taking the role of Charlie, “a psychopathic gangster” whose dog is stolen by Billy and Hans (Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken, respectively). The main character, Marty (Colin Farrell), is a screenwriter who becomes involved with the dog-stealing plot as a way of gaining inspiration for his script. Through these adventures, he’s “going to get all the focus and inspiration he needs, just as long as he lives to tell the tale.” Since Charlie is “unpredictable, extremely violent and wouldn’t think twice about killing anyone or anything associated with the theft,” things might get hairy. Character details for Waits and Kurylenko aren’t being shared, sadly.

So, is anybody still upset that Rourke left? He admittedly felt like a fine choice to play a crazy mobster, but Harrelson is, to be completely honest, both a better actor and more interesting onscreen presence. This is an upgrade, through and through. (Nabbing Waits and Kurylenko is also nice, by the way.) My anticipation for Seven Psychopaths was already significant — this might not alter it to a noticeable degree, but I’ll be damned if hopes are adversely affected. I cannot wait.

Production on Seven Psychopaths is currently underway, and CBS Films will distribute the film, possibly in late 2012.

How do you feel about Harrelson replacing Rourke? Do these other additions come across as a good sign?