Oren Moverman's upcoming directorial debut, The Messenger, already seemed pretty tasty when Jessica posted that the super-talented Ben Foster had signed on to star. Then Jena Malone and Eamonn Walker signed on. Now, The Hollywood Reporter posts that Woody Harrelson and Samantha Morton have also joined the cast. Unfortunately, there's no word on who they'll all be playing, beyond Foster starring.

Foster will play an army dude who is assigned to one of the crappiest jobs out there, aside from cannon fodder. He gets teamed up with someone he doesn't like and has to inform families when their loved ones have died in combat. Somehow, he ends up falling for a soldier's widow, which I imagine complicates matters. THR goes on to state that this is being billed as "a poignant, life-affirming road movie." As a "road movie," it could be that Foster drives around to tell these families. However, he needs enough time to fall for a widow, so maybe we're going to get some military Three for the Road type action? Whatever the case, the film starts production on May 20, so maybe we'll hear more soon.

Who would you rather be on the road with: Ben Foster or Woody Harrelson?

If you had to pick one of the break-out stars in 2007, chances are Ben Foster would be one of the names at the top of the list. Between his performances in 3:10 To Yuma and 30 Days of Night there is no question that this young actor has earned the right to get his own starring roles. Besides, anyone that can make me laugh or scare the crap out of me in equal amounts deserves a little respect. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Foster has signed to star in the military drama, The Messenger.

The story centers on an army man (Foster) who has been given the unpleasant assignment of informing families that a loved one has died in combat (talk about being the bearer of bad news). Forced to work with a partner he can't stand, things become even more complicated when he begins to fall in love with a soldier's widow. So far, only Foster has been officially attached to the film, so there is still plenty of time to fill out the rest of the cast.

The film marks the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who is probably most famous for co-writing Todd Haynes' Dylan 'biopic' I'm Not There. Alessandro Camon co-wrote the script for The Messenger and is already hard at work on the Leonardo DiCaprio thriller, The Chancellor Manuscript. Foster has also lined up a role in the dysfunctional family comedy Birds of America, but for that role it looks like it's going to be another ensemble piece. Luckily for Foster, he's not the type of actor who fades into the background. The Messenger is scheduled to start shooting in April.

A whole swarm of Daniel Silva spy novels are heading to the big screen. Universal has forked over a seven-figure sum to get the rights to the author's award-winning spy series that focus on a Mossad agent-turned art restorer Gabriel Allon. So far, they're not too interested in chronology, and won't be focusing on the first, The Kill Artist, which details the guy getting pulled out of retirement to stop the assassination of Yasir Arafat. Instead, they're looking to start with The Messenger. While not a story about Joan of Arc, the religion is right on cue -- Allon has to help stop planned attacks against the Vatican -- namely Pope Paul VII and Monsignor Luigi Donati.

So, we've got the story, which could be good, but what else? There's no screenwriter attached yet, but there is a director -- Pierre Morel. Now, the man has worked as a cinematographer on films like The Transporter and as a camera operator for The Dreamers, Before Sunset and funny enough -- The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. But forget all that -- he's also the guy who directed the uber-awesome Banlieue 13, otherwise known as District 13. I'm a big fan of David Belle and Parkour, so I'm really, really hoping he somehow slips it into the film. It's about spies, so it could happen...right?