New Photos: Woody Harrelson In Oren Moverman’s L.A. Cop Drama ‘Rampart’

First Synopsis For The Film; Ned Beatty Also Part Of The Ensemble Cast

Even though producer/star Ben Foster has said a 2012 festival unveiling is the likely plan, we’re still kinda hoping Oren Moverman‘s sophomore directorial effort, L.A. cop-drama “Rampart,” will sneak onto 2011 calendars somehow.

And whetting our appetites even more now are some new photos from the film featuring Woody Harrelson, whose performance has already been hyped as “stone cold,” “insane” and one that will likely be recognized come award season. The story is, of course, based on the titular real-life scandal in the ‘90s, which saw an investigation of crooked L.A. cops end up with 70-plus officers implicated and convicted, with Moverman’s take on the tale following one officer (played by Ice Cube) on the trail of Harrelson’s leading dirty cop.

Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Stella Schnabel and Steve Buscemi all co-star with veteran actor Ned Beatty also part of the ensemble cast, despite missing from most reports leading up to production. While we don’t have confirmation just yet of what roles each actor will be taking, we do know Schnabel, daughter of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” director Julian Schnabel, will be playing a fellow police officer. Here’s the explosive, first synopsis:

The last of the renegade cops, LAPD officer Dave Brown (Harrelson) is caught on tape “doing the people’s dirty work” and finds himself at the center of a vicious scandal. The days of being above the law are over. Now a poster boy for police corruption, Dave learns he’s been targeted by cop killers looking for revenge. Nothing is what it seems as Dave descends into the L.A. underworld and exacts his own brand of justice.

Sundance, where Moverman’s last film “The Messenger” premiered, seems the likely target destination. [SierraAffinity]