Philip Seymour Hoffman joins adaptation of Child 44 with Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, and Tom Hardy

Philip Seymour Hoffman has joined the cast of CHILD 44, which is based on the novel by Tom Rob Smith. Hoffman joins fellow actors Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Tom Hardy, and Joel Kinnaman. Directed by Daniel Espinosa (SAFE HOUSE) with a script by Richard Price (CLOCKERS), the film takes place during the Stalin-Era in the Soviet Union where a police officer investigates a series of murders that lead him all the way to the top of government leadership.

Here's the book synopsis:

Stalin's Soviet Union is an official paradise, where citizens live free from crime and fear only one thing: the all-powerful state. Defending this system is idealistic security officer Leo Demidov, a war hero who believes in the iron fist of the law. But when a murderer starts to kill at will and Leo dares to investigate, the State's obedient servant finds himself demoted and exiled. Now, with only his wife at his side, Leo must fight to uncover shocking truths about a killer-and a country where "crime" doesn't exist.

No word on what role Hoffman (or any of the others) is playing, but with a cast like that it hardly matters. Even just having Oldman and Hoffman in the same room together is enough to get excited about, but tossing in Hardy, Rapace, and Kinnaman makes for one hell of an ensemble.

CHILD 44 is gearing up to shoot this year with an eye towards release in 2014.