James Cromwell, best known for playing Captain Dudley Smith in the classic cop thriller LA Confidential, is set to star in and co-produce a film based on Eugene O’Neill’s play The Hairy Ape. Assembly Line Entertainment’s Janek Ambros will write, direct, and co-produce the film, titled Brute’s Revenge.

The plot revolves around Yank, an illiterate stoker on an ocean liner, who is cruelly dismissed as a “filthy animal” by the son of a powerful industrialist. Driven by a thirst for revenge and a desperate search for belonging, Yank navigates a society that seems to have no place for the working class. Originally penned in 1922, O’Neill’s play was revived off-Broadway in 2017, starring Bobby Cannavale.

Ambros and Cromwell’s reimagining of the tale promises a fresh perspective, expanding the original narrative with new characters. Cromwell will take on the role of the antagonist, the imposing industrialist Harold DK Douglass.

“Eugene O’Neill’s play is both tragic and funny and is as timely as ever. I’m excited to work with Jamie once again on a movie that dissects class dynamics, political radicalism and white knight syndrome,” stated Ambros.

Cromwell and Ambros have previously collaborated on the documentary Imminent Threat, examining the civil implications of the War on Terror, and the psychedelic comedy Mondo Hollywoodland. Cinematographer Brandan Haskell is also on board as a co-producer.