Zoe Saldana, Casey Affleck, Christian Bale and Sam Shepard top line gritty drama Out of the Furnace |

Christian Bale in the highly anticipated sequel The Dark Knight Rises

Relativity Media has closed deals with Oscar-winner Christian Bale (The Fighter), Oscar-nominated Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford), Zoe Saldana (Avatar) and Oscar-nominated Sam Shepard (Safe House) to star as the lead roles in the upcoming gripping and gritty drama currently titled Out of the Furnace, to be written and directed by Crazy Heart filmmaker Scott Cooper, it was announced today by Relativity’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley. Bale will star as older brother Russell Baze in the film alongside Affleck who will play the role of younger brother Rodney Baze Jr. Saldana has also been cast as Bale’s love interest Lena Warren and Shepard will play Red, Russell and Rodney Baze’s uncle. Production is set to begin in Braddock, Pennsylvania later this month.

In making the announcement, Tooley said, “This is a meaty script with characters as strong as they are complex, and we needed powerhouse actors who complement the story. Christian, Casey, Zoe and Sam each approach everything they do with heart and conviction. We can’t wait to see what each of them brings to this film,” says Tooley.

The Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)-produced drama centers on fate, circumstance, and redemption. Russell and his younger brother live in the economically depressed Rust Belt, and have always dreamed of escaping and finding better lives. But when a cruel twist of fate lands Russell in prison, his brother is lured into one of the most violent and ruthless crime rings in the Northeast – a mistake that will almost cost him everything. Once released, Russell must choose between his own freedom, or risk it all to seek justice for his brother.

Along with DiCaprio, Out of the Furnace is also produced by Appian Way’s Jennifer Killoran (The Ides of March), along with Scott Free’s Ridley Scott (The Grey), Tony Scott (Man on Fire) and Michael Costigan (American Gangster), as well as Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter).