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Colin Farrell Eyes Steve McQueen’s ‘Widows’ With Viola Davis (EXCLUSIVE)

Colin Farrell is in negotiations to join Viola Davis in Steve McQueen and New Regency’s heist thriller “Widows.”

Farrell also recently signed on to star in Disney’s “Dumbo.” Production on that movie, however, was pushed back one month, allowing Farrell to squeeze “Widows” into his schedule.

20th Century Fox will distribute the movie.

Liam Neeson, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Rodriguez, “Get Out” star Daniel Kaluuya, and “Moonlight” actor Andre Holland are also on board. “Gone Girl” screenwriter and novelist Gillian Flynn will write the script with McQueen.

Based on the 1983 British miniseries about a caper gone wrong, the story follows four armed robbers who are killed in a failed heist attempt, leaving their widows to finish the job.

Details behind Farrell’s role are vague, aside from the fact that he’ll play a politician that finds himself mixed up in the widows’ plans.

The movie will be produced by McQueen, as well as Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films, who teamed with McQueen on “Shame” and also produced the Oscar best-picture winner “The King’s Speech.” Film4 is co-financing with New Regency.

Farrell recently toplined “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and appears in Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” remake, opening this summer. The actor will co-star with Denzel Washington in Dan Gilroy’s “Inner City,” which just wrapped shooting. Variety also broke the news last month that Farrell will play Oliver North in an untitled limited series for Amazon. He is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment.

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