John Malkovich has signed to star opposite Bruce Willis in “Red,” an all-star adaptation of the comic-book miniseries.

Malkovich is stepping in for John C. Reilly, who exited the project in late December.

Willis plays a retired black-ops agent who must contend with younger, more high-tech assassins who show up to kill him.

Malkovich will be able to exercise his comic sensibilities by playing a retired CIA agent, a contemporary of Willis’, who is erratic and paranoid that everyone is out to kill him and joins Willis in his quest to find out who wants them dead.

Malkovich joins a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Mary-Louise Parker, Julian McMahon, Richard Dreyfuss, Ernest Borgnine and Brian Cox.

Principal photography begins this week in Toronto. Robert Schwenke is directing the Summit Entertainment project.

Malkovich next appears onscreen in Disney’s “Secretariat.”  [Source]