Willem Dafoe Joins Nicolas Cage in Paul Schrader’s Crime Thriller ‘Dog Eat Dog’

Two-time Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe will join Oscar winner Nicolas Cage in Paul Schrader‘s crime thriller “Dog Eat Dog,” based on the book of the same name by Eddie Bunker, it was announced Thursday.

Arclight Films and Pure Dopamine have just started production on the film, which Schrader (“Taxi Driver”) will direct from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Wilder.

“Dog Eat Dog” is a gritty contemporary crime thriller about a trio of ex-cons, deep in the underbelly of Los Angeles, who are hired for a kidnapping. When the botched abduction goes awry and gets completely out of control, the cons find themselves on the run, vowing to stay out of prison at all costs.

The film is being produced by Mark Earl Burman and David Hillary of Pure Dopamine, and executive producers by Gary Hamilton, Don Rivers, Tim Peternel, Shaun Redick and Ray Mansfield.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the immensely talented Willem Dafoe, who bolsters the cast and joins the list of cinema legends involved in ‘Dog Eat Dog’ like Paul Schrader and Nicolas Cage,” said Hamilton, the managing director of Arclight Films, which is handling international sales. “The talent in front of and behind the camera in ‘Dog Eat Dog’ ensure a solid, commercially viable final product that will enthrall audiences all over the world.”

“The addition of Willem Dafoe to ‘Dog Eat Dog’ perfectly rounds out the cast and adds a brilliant mix of dark comedy and truthful raw acting that only Mr. Dafoe can bring to the table. We’re thrilled to be working with him and look forward to brining more hard charging dramatic action features to the marketplace,” said Burman.

Dafoe, who earned Oscar nominations for his supporting turns in “Platoon” and “Shadow of the Vampire,” is represented by CAA and Circle of Confusion.