The James Coughlin of 'The Town' has been cast as George Leslie, a notorious bank robber who masterminded a big heist at the Manhattan Savings Institution in 1878.
- September 21, 2011
AceShowbiz -
Jeremy Renner will take on another bank robber role in "King of Heists". According to Deadline, the Hawkeye depicter in "Thor" and "The Avengers" has been attached to play the lead character in the movie adaptation of J. North Conway's novel about one of the greatest bank robberies in American history.
Renner is set to portray George Leslie, a man who came to New York City as a well-mannered person. However, he secretly created a group and masterminded a heist of an estimated $3 million in cash and securities from the Manhattan Savings Institution in 1878.
This is not the first time Renner plays a felon. Back in 2010, he starred as bank robber James "Jem" Coughlin in "The Town", which was directed by Ben Affleck. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor through the role.
In "King of Heists", Renner is also on board as the producer, joining forces with Don Handfield as well as Teddy Schwarzman. Meanwhile, Will Staples has been tapped to pen the screenplay, but no director has been hired.
