Neeson, Cooper Join The A-Team Film

And 20th Century Fox is hiring it’s A-Team for the long in the works feature film version of The A-Team - Liam Neeson is “in negotiations” to play Col. John “Hannibal” Smith, with Bradley (The Hangover) Cooper “in early talks” to play Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck. This according to Variety.

The film version will be directed by Joe Carnahan, and produced by Ridley Scott, Jules Daly and A-Team creator Stephen J. Cannell. Tony Scott is executive producing. Skip (Wolverine, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) Woods wrote the script, and it was polished by Carnahan and Brian Bloom.

According to the trade, the film version will keep the original premise, that is, four war veterans (though the war will no longer be Vietnam) who were wrongly convicted of armed robbery escape from a military prison to become mercenaries who help those in need. As early reports call it, the tone will be closer to Ocean’s Eleven and Mission Impossible rather than the G-rated action with occasional slapstick moments of the original television series. No word on whether or not B.A. Baracus will have to be drugged every time the team flies.

Speaking of B.A. – that role is still to be cast, along with Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock, roles that were originally played by Mr. T and Dwight Schultz, respectively.

Production on the film is slated to start in late August for a June 11th, 2010 release.