Vincent Cassel has joined the cast of 'Child 44'.
The 46-year-old actor - known for his role in 'Trance' - has been signed up as a last-minute replacement for Philip Seymour Hoffman - who dropped out - in Daniel Espinosa's adaptation of Tom Rob Smith's bestseller thriller, according to Deadline.
The movie will follow the tales of military police officer Leo Demidov as he investigates a series of gruesome murders on children in Russia during the 1950's, but as evidence builds against a number of the highest government officials, Leo - portrayed by Tom Hardy - finds himself in the middle of a deadly scheme.
The French star joins a cast including Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman and Jason Clarke in the action drama, which is being produced by Ridley Scott for his Scott Free Productions along with Michael Schaefer and Greg Shapiro.
Meanwhile, Maria Cestone, Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich and Christopher Woodrow will executive produce.
Helmer Daniel is currently working from a script penned by Richard Price, while Worldwide Entertainment will co-finance the movie.
Filming for 'Child 44' kicked off in June and is set to be released in 2014.
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