Things didn't end so well for Michael Pitt's gangster on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," but when one door closes, another opens.
The heavy-lidded heartthrob will star as a freight-hopper in "You Can't Win," an adaptation of turn-of-the-20th-century adventurer Jack Black's autobiographical novel about riding the rails.
At the risk of spoilage, it's safe to say that "Boardwalk Empire" fans won't be seeing more of Pitt's Jimmy Darmody in Jersey City, but "You Can't Win" will return the actor to a similar historical milieu to play a character who also frequently runs afoul of the law.
Also read: 'Boardwalk Empire' Death: Yep, They Went There
The film will focus on a collection of hobos, bums, tramps and travelling criminals who criss-cross the country, engaging in petty thievery, drinking and gambling. The book is something of a cult classic and influenced such writers as William S. Burroughs.
It marks a return to the big screen from Pitt, who last starred in 2007's "Funny Games." He is also known for his edgy roles in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers," in which he played an arena rock star in love with a transexual and an American traveler involved in a ménage à trois with French siblings, respectively.
Robinson Devor, who previously directed the 2005 crime film "Police Beat" and the 2007 documentary "Zoo," will direct and Pitt will serve as producer.
Pitt and Devor co-wrote the film with Barry Gifford ("Wild at Heart") and Charles Mudede ("Police Beat").
Principal photography will begin this month in Seattle.
In addition to Pitt, Parts & Labor's Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy will produce with Robert Scarff and Zach Sebastian.