Shia LaBeouf first attached himself to The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman in April 2010, but the project is really gaining steam now.  Director Frederik Bond signed on late last month, and Evan Rachel Wood and Mads Mikkelsen joined the cast this weekend.  According to Variety, Wood will play Gabi, "a Hungarian girl who Charlie (LaBeouf) falls in love with after her father dies on a plane next to him."  Unfortunately for Charlie, Gabi's estranged husband (Mikkelsen) is an "insanely violent crime boss" who is intent on beating the love out of Charlie.  I like the story, and not just because it involves the ruthless beating of LaBeouf.  I can see why Matt Drake's screenplay made it on the 2007 Black List of Hollywood's best unproduced screenplays.

Voltage and Bona Fide are currently in pre-production with plans to shoot The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman in Eastern Europe in May.  Hit the jump for the synopsis that came with the announcement press release back in 2010.

Charlie Countryman (LaBeouf) was just a normal guy… until he fell in love with the one girl who will probably get him killed.  When Charlie meets the absolutely irresistible Gabi she’s already been claimed by Nigel, an insanely violent crime boss with a gang of thugs at his disposal.  Armed with little more than his wit and naïve charm, Charlie endures one bruising beat down after another to woo Gabi and keep her out of harm’s way.  Finally his exploits of blind valor create such a mess that he’s left with only one way out; to save the girl of his dreams, must Charlie Countryman die?

This is quality casting.  If she can pull off the Hungarian accent, I believe a young man would go to crazy lengths to win over Wood.  I'm not convinced that Mikkelsen is not a psychopathic gangster when he's not acting.  And again: LaBeouf is an a charming guy whom I don't mind seeing beaten to a pulp every few films.