Josh Brolin Replaces Sean Penn in 'Cartel'

When Sean Penn went on a hiatus earlier this year, he rocked the boat not just of The Three Stooges movie - in which he was to play Larry - he also impacted the drama Cartel, which as you might suspect is a story surrounded by the drug underworld. According to Variety, Josh Brolin has picked up Penn's role, continuing one of the best hot streaks going in Hollywood, especially considering that three years ago, Brolin wasn't popping up in a whole lot of anything. But unlike a lot of similar hot streaks, it's not based on nothing. Brolin has been very good in the lot. Now that it's back on track, Cartel will be directed by Asger Leth, who has made his mark in the documentary world with Ghosts of Cité Soleil. He's helming a film based on a 1993 Italian movie called La Scorta, with a few alterations. "Brolin will play a man on a mission to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels," writes Variety; I smell another vigilante justice movie. They'll film Cartel in January, and between this, Jonah Hex, and Wall Street 2, Brolin has another big, big year lined up.