... the very capable Edgar Ramirez.

My name is Mr. Beaks, and I've been a fan of Joe Carnahan's dating back to 2002's NARC. Why I've had to settle for one whole Joe Carnahan movie since then... eh, let's not relive the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 horror stories, the WHITE JAZZ scheduling snafus or the $2 million, multi-state skee-ball scam. Let's look forward to KILLING PABLO.

If you click on the above link, you'll read a scoop from CHUD's Devin Faraci, who got word straight from Carnahan that Ramirez is taking over the coveted role of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar from Javier Bardem. While it's bummer to lose one of the greatest actors working today, Ramirez has been building up a fairly impressive resume over the years with supporting turns in Soderbergh's CHE movies (as Ciro Redondo), THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM and Tony Scott's bug-fuck DOMINO. If Carnahan says the Venezuelan star is fully committed to playing one of the most feared crimelords of the twentieth century (which means he'll be packing on "anywhere from 35 to 40lbs"), then I'm in. Let's hurry up, and get the financing and the dates set before it all goes away!

And if you're wondering why this monster's story is worth telling, Mark Bowden has the answer.

Principal photography is still scheduled to begin in the fall (according to this July 28 article from Variety). Yari Film Group will produce.