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John Malkovich will square off against Josh Brolin in "Jonah Hex," the Warner Bros. adaptation of the DC Comics property that begins production in April.

Legendary Pictures has joined the project as co-financier and co-producer.

Malkovich will play Turnbull, a wealthy Southern plantation owner whose son is killed by Union soldiers during the Civil War. He blames Hex, a former confederate soldier-turned-hardened bounty hunter and gunslinger.

Jimmy Hayward ("Horton Hears a Who") is directing the script by "Crank" scribes Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Mad Chance's Andrew Lazar is producing with Weed Road's Akiva Goldsman.

Malkovich, most recently seen in "Burn After Reading" and "Changeling," is currently presiding over the Mexico opening of "The Good Canary," a Zack Helm-penned play that Malkovich directed. The play, which bowed in France, was translated into Spanish, and Diego Luna is starring in the feature.