Ben Foster in Talks to Join Cast of Inferno

Ben Foster, 34, a character actor who has appeared in in such films as 3:10 to Yuma, Lone Survivor, Pandorum, Contraband, The Mechanic, Bang Bang You're Dead, X-Men: The Last Stand, among others, is in negotiations to play a key role in Inferno, Sony and Imagine Entertainment's film adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling 2013 novel of the same name. It will be the third movie version of a Dan Brown mystery thriller, following The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.  

Ron Howard will be directing from a screenplay written by David Koepp based on Brown's book. Tom Hanks is reprising his role as Harvard professor of religious iconology and symbology Robert Langdon. Also in the cast are Felicity Jones as Dr. Sienna Brooks, Irrfan Khan as Harry Sims 'The Provost,' Omar Sy as Christoph Bruder, and Sidse Babett Knudsen as Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey. Ben Foster is reportedly being eyed to play the role of Bertrand Zobrist, a genius obsessed with the Inferno and planning to release a deadly virus. Brian Grazer is producing with Imagine's Anna Culp executive producing the project which will start shooting April in Europe. Inferno is already scheduled for release to theaters on October 14, 2016.

The story of Inferno begins with Langdon waking up in a hospital in Florence, Italy, with a head wound and no memory of the last few days. Sienna, one of the doctors tending to him, tells him he suffered a concussion from being grazed by a bullet. Then, Vayentha, a female assassin who has been tracking him, breaks into the hospital, shoots a doctor and approaches his room. Sienna grabs and takes him to her apartment. Langdon suddenly finds himself the target of a manhunt. With the help of Sienna and his knowledge of symbology, he will try to escape while they race to solve the most intricate riddle he has ever faced.