Crudup Is Hoover in Crime Drama "Public Enemies"

By Adam Hetrick
04 Apr 2008

Tony Award winner Billy Crudup will co-star with Johnny Depp in the upcoming crime drama "Public Enemies" for Universal Pictures.

According to Variety, Crudup has been cast as divisive former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, with "Sweeney Todd" star Depp set to portray gangster John Dillinger. Academy Award-winning "La Vie en Rose" actress Marion Cotillard is confirmed for the role of Dillinger's lover, Billie Frechette.

Tony nominee Stephen Lang (The Speed of Darkness) has signed on as retired Texas Ranger Charles Winstead. "Public Enemies" will also feature the previously announced Christian Bale as FBI agent Melvin Purvis and Giovanni Ribisi as gangster Alvin Karpis.

Michael Mann, director of "Last of the Mohicans," is currently shooting the film that is eyeing a 2009 release.

Crudup earned a 2007 Tony Award for The Coast of Utopia. His stage credits include Tony-nominated performances in The Pillowman and The Elephant Man as well as appearances in The Three Sisters, Bus Stop and Arcadia. Crudup has appeared in the films "The Good Shepherd," "Big Fish," "Almost Famous" and "Inventing the Abbotts."