Daniel Craig confirmed for Jon Favreau’s adaptation of comic Cowboys & Aliens

One movie I was pretty stoked to see was COWBOYS & ALIENS, based on the graphic novel of the same name. Cowboys versus Aliens? Alright it’s original but why was I excited for it? Well the smash director/actor duo of Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. were set to tackle this one with Summer blockbuster in mind! Unfortunately Downey Jr. had to leave the project because of some SHERLOCK HOLMES sequel. Strike one Mr. Downey Jr.

Alas the loss of Downey hurt the project but that wasn’t going to stop Dreamworks/Universal from going after another big name to topline their sci-fi epic. Almost immediately ‘James Bond’ himself Daniel Craig was rumored to be up for the role. Now, thanks to Deadline Hollywood, it’s confirmed that Daniel Craig will indeed be starring in Jon Favreau’s COWBOYS & ALIENS!

The site says the actor has just closed a deal to play Zeke Jackson, a former Union Army gunslinger who gets caught in the middle of an Old West battle between the Apache and Western settlers that is interrupted by a spaceship crashing into the prairie near Silver City, Ariz. The story draws a parallel between the American imperialist drive to conquer the “savage” Indians with its advanced technology and the aliens’ assault on Earthlings, who must join together to survive the invaders’ attack. COWBOYS & ALIENS has a start-date of June 2010 with a release date of Summer 2011 already pegged so hopefully we hear a lot more on the film real soon!