Outback race feature Dust and Glory will now shoot mid-to-late 2013 after director Simon West agreed to film a remake of '80s-thriller Heat.
Heat will reunite West with Jason Statham, who he directed in Expendables 2. Statham will assume the role of ex-mercenary Nick Escalante, originally played by Burt Reynolds in the 1986 thriller, with the shoot scheduled to begin February 2013.
Dust and Glory producer Bobby Galinsky said he was continuing to scout for cast, which had been challenging to due to availability.
Ryan Gosling was recently in talks to star in the film, which is based on Evan Green's novel and tells the true story of the 1950’s redex trials: a famous 10,000 mile car race around Australia.
West's directing credits also include Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The General’s Daughter and Con Air.
Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.