The Western Jane Got a Gun has gotten off to a bit of a rough start.  The film was to begin production this past Monday, but director Lynne Ramsay abruptly left the project by reportedly not showing up for the first day of filming, leaving the pic in a state of uncertainty.  Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) was quickly brought in to replace Ramsay, but then Jude Law dropped out of the project as a result of Ramsay’s departure, leaving the film without a villain.  Natalie Portman is poised to star as a woman whose outlaw husband returns home riddled with bullets, spurring her to team up with her ex-lover (Joel Edgerton) in order to seek revenge against the man responsible (the villain role yet to be cast).

With production apparently back underway, O’Connor and the film’s producers are scrambling to replace Law as quickly as possible.  A new report has surfaced suggesting that they’re casting a pretty wide net to fill the role, as Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Jeff Bridges are among those being considered.  Hit the jump for more. 

The LA Times reports that O’Connor is looking to find someone with an international brand “who also looks good in a hat” to fill the film’s villain role, with Gyllenhaal, Maguire, and Bridges among those being considered.  The edge would seemingly be with Gyllenhaal or Maguire since they’re closer in age to Law and they’ve both worked with Portman before in Brothers, but Bridges could be a nice left field choice as well.  O’Connor can’t really afford to be super picky, though, as they need an actor who is available to show up to set ASAP and is willing to start filming with very little prep time.

There’s still no official word from Ramsay regarding the filmmaker’s abrupt exit, but the LA Times has a source that claims Ramsay actually terminated her involvement with the film on Saturday and not on Monday, the first day of filming, as was initially reported.  Another source adds that personal issues are to blame for Ramsay’s abrupt departure, and it's beginning to look like things may not be as clear cut as they initially appeared.  I’m incredibly interested to see what Ramsay has to say about the matter, since thus far we’ve only heard one side of the story from spurned producer Scott Steindorff. 

Whatever the case, Jane Got a Gun is in a very precarious position and I sincerely hope things get back on track soon.  The pic has a Black List script by Brian Duffield and a solid cast/director, so here’s hoping a villain is cast soon and the production gets back on track.