Actress Brie Larson has been on the rise for a few years now, but her breakthrough role in this year’s highly regarded indie Short Term 12 finally gave her the chance to shine as a leading lady.  As a result, the actress has landed the female lead opposite Mark Wahlberg in Paramount’s remake of the 1974 James Caan film The Gambler, which has gone through a number of iterations over the years.  Oscar-winning The Departed scribe William Monahan penned the initial script for Martin Scorsese to direct and Leonardo DiCaprio to star, then The Hangover director Todd Phillips entered talks to take over when Scorsese left the project.  Hit the jump for more on the project, including who will now be taking the helm.

Wahlberg is set to star in the crime drama as Jim Bennett, a college literature professor whose vices cause his life to spiral out of control. THR reports that, in addition to Larson’s casting as one of Bennett’s students with whom he is in love, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt has officially signed on to take the helm.  We reported last month that Wyatt and Wahlberg were circling The Gambler, and now it appears that both have firmly committed to the picture.

The Paramount film is a big get for Larson, who has shined with smaller roles in 21 Jump Street, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and The Spectacular Now.  Hopefully this lead role is the first of many for the talented actress.  Watch a trailer for the 1974 iteration of The Gambler below.