FX is taking Billy Bob Thornton to the wood chipper.
The actor is set to star in the television adaptation of Joel and Ethan Coen's acclaimed film "Fargo." The 1996 crime drama received seven Oscar nominations, with wins for the Coen brothers' screenplay and Best Actress for Frances McDormand.
The Coen brothers will produce the limited-run FX series, and all 10 episodes have already been written by Noah Hawley.
Thornton will play Lorne Malvo, "the rootless, manipulative man who meets a small-town insurance salesman and sets him on a path of destruction." The TV version will feature a new crime and new characters, though Lorne is loosely modeled on Steve Buscemi's character in the movie.
The show will start filming sometime this fall for a potential spring 2013 premiere.
Thornton has been somewhat quiet in recent years, acting steadily in smaller movies like "School for Scoundrels" and "Eagle Eye." He also directed the indie "Jayne Mansfield's Car," starring Robert Duvall and John Hurt, which premiered at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival.
[via Variety]
