Javier Bardem signs on for Biutiful

Javier Bardem has agreed to star in Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s next film Biutiful.

The Spanish-language drama will follow a man (Bardem) involved in criminal activity who is confronted by a former childhood friend who has, rather inconveniently, become a police officer.

Variety reports that Biutiful will get production support from Cha Cha Cha, the production partnership the director shares with Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro.

Burning Plain

It won’t be Inarritu’s next film to hit cinemas, however – he already has The Burning Plain, starring Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger in the can.

And there’s a small part of us that’s hoping he can patch things up with Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel writer Guillermo Arriaga, if only because they seemed such a good team. A team that specialised in crushing misery, true. But, you know, the thoughtful, arty brand of crushing misery.