Jared Leto is in early talks to join Denzel Washington and Rami Malek in Warner Bros.’ crime thriller “The Little Things,” sources tell Variety.
John Lee Hancock, who directed best picture nominee “The Blind Side” and Netflix’s Woody Harrelson-Kevin Costner pic “The Highwaymen,” is on board to write and direct the film.
The story follows a burned-out Kern County, Calif. deputy sheriff named Deke (Washington) who teams with Baxter, a crack LASD detective (Malek), to reel in a wily serial killer. Deke’s nose for the “little things” proves eerily accurate, but his willingness to circumvent the rules embroils Baxter in a soul-shattering dilemma. Meanwhile, Deke must wrestle with a dark secret from his past.
If the deal goes through, Leto will take on the role of the serial killer in the movie, which is planned to begin shooting this fall.
Warner Bros. has strong ties with Leto; the actor appeared in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” and as the Joker in “Suicide Squad,” both for the studio. He recently wrapped production on Sony’s “Morbius,” based on the Marvel comic-book character of the same name, and was also seen in Netflix’s “The Outsider.” He recently produced the documentary “A Day in the Life of America.”
Leto took home the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2013 for his work in Jean-Marce Vallee’s “Dallas Buyers Club.”
He is repped by WME.