In the film, also to be directed by McDonagh, Farrell plays a screenwriter who struggles to find the handle on his script, "Seven Psychopaths."
His friends, played by Rockwell and Walken, dognap a Shih Tzu owned by a psychopathic gangster, and he suddenly finds the inspiration for his film—if he can stay alive to write it down.
"Seven Psychopaths," set to begin production in Los Angeles in the fall, will be produced by Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin, with Tessa Ross as executive producer. CBS Films will distribute the film in the United States.
Walken was nominated for a Tony Award in 2000 for his performance in James Joyce's The Dead and again in 2010 for A Behanding in Spokane. He has also been seen in Hurlyburly, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Merchant of Venice and The Plough and the Stars, among others. Rockwell has been seen on Broadway in A Behanding in Spokane.