Idris Elba in Talks to Join Sean Penn, Javier Bardem in 'Gunman' (Exclusive)

Pierre Morel is directing the action thriller, which is being produced by Silver Pictures.

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Idris Elba

The Gunman continues to attract high-caliber actors.

Idris Elba is in talks to join Sean Penn and Javier Bardem in the action thriller, being produced by Joel Silver, Andrew Rona and Steve Richards through Silver Pictures.
Pierre Morel is directing the feature, which was previously titled Prone Gunman and is based on the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette.
In the movie, Penn plays an international operative who is betrayed by the organization he works for, forcing him into a game of cat and mouse across Europe.
Elba will portray a mysterious operative named Dupont.

Pete Travis wrote the screenplay for the project, which is fully financed by Studio Canal; shooting is slated to begin in Barcelona and other European locales later this month.
The producers hope to launch a franchise with the movie, although it is unclear if Gunman will go through Silver's distribution deal at Universal or end up in another studio's pipeline. (Studio Canal, which is handling international sales, nearly sold out its territories at Cannes.)  
Elba won a Golden Globe for his performance in the hit BBC series Luther and will next be seen starring alongside monsters and mechas in Pacific Rim, the Guillermo del Toro tentpole that opens July 12.
The actor is also reprising the role of Heimdall in Thor: The Dark World and portrays Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Elba is repped by Anonymous Content, Felker Toczek and the U.K.’s Ken McReddie Associates.