---

Director Scott Cooper and Christian Bale are reuniting for Western film “Hostiles.”

Cooper will write and direct with Bale attached to star. Cooper will also produce with “Black Mass” producer John Lesher producing along with Ken Kao, who is also financing the pic through Waypoint Entertainment.

Set in 1892, “Hostiles” tells the story of a legendary Army captain, who agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to tribal lands. Making the harrowing and perilous journey from an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape and hostile Comanche tribes that they encounter along the way.

Production is set to begin in July.

Following his shoot on “The Big Short,” Bale had taken the rest of 2015 off to recuperate from a knee injury. He began looking for new projects once the knee was fully rehabilitated. He had been considering the Michael Mann biopic “Ferrari,” which revolved around the life of automobile honcho Enzo Ferrari, but had to drop out due to health concerns over weight gains for the role.

Cooper had also been weighing several films but when Bale became available after parting ways with “Ferrari,” the two jumped at the chance to work together. The two also worked together on “Out of the Furnace.”

Cooper is coming off the mob movie “Black Mass,” which over-performed at the box office and also brought Cooper and his star Johnny Depp critical praise.

Bale was recently nominated for an Oscar for “The Big Short.” Cooper is repped by CAA and Bale is repped by WME.

---

---

Rosamund Pike is in negotiations to co-star with Christian Bale in Scott Cooper’s Western “Hostiles,” sources confirmed to Variety.

Cooper will write and direct, with Bale attached to star. Cooper will also produce with “Black Mass” producer John Lesher along with Ken Kao, who is also financing the pic through Waypoint Entertainment.

Set in 1892, “Hostiles” tells the story of a legendary Army captain (Bale) who agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief and his family back to tribal lands. Making the harrowing and perilous journey from an isolated Army outpost in New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana, the former rivals encounter a young widow (Pike) whose family was murdered on the plains. Together, they must join forces to overcome the punishing landscape and hostile Comanche tribes that they encounter along the way.

Production is set to begin in July.

Sources say Cooper was drawn to Pike after seeing her in Massive Attack’s music video “Voodoo in My Blood,” which recently caused an Internet stir.

Pike recently wrapped production on the World War II thriller “HHhH” as well as “A United Kingdom” with David Oyelowo. She is repped by CAA, United Agents and Magnolia Entertainment. The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.

---

---

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.c...0&h=377&crop=1

Le Grisbi Productions and Waypoint Entertainment have released the first image from Scott Cooper’s upcoming western “Hostiles,” which is set for an international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

The film, set in 1892, stars Christian Bale as a legendary Army Captain who, after stern resistance, agrees to escort a dying Cheyenne war chief (Wes Studi) and his family back home to tribal lands. The perilous journey takes Bale and his detail from New Mexico to the grasslands of Montana. Along the way they pick up a young widow (Rosamund Pike), whose family has been murdered on the plains by hostile Comanche natives. Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, Ben Foster, Jonathan Majors and Timothee Chalamet also star.

Cooper’s last film, “Black Mass” — starring Johnny Depp as Boston gangster Whitey Bulger — also played the Toronto film festival. He previously collaborated with Bale on the 2013 film “Out of the Furnace.”

“Hostiles” was produced by Cooper, Oscar winner John Lesher (“Birdman”) and Ken Kao (“The Glass Castle”). The cinematographer is Masanobu Takayanagi (“Spotlight”). The editor is Oscar winner Tom Cross (“Whiplash,” “La La Land”). The production was designed by Oscar winner Donald Graham Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”). Composer Max Richter (“The Leftovers”) provided the original score.

“Hostiles” is one of a number of acquisition titles heading to Toronto.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---