Source: Variety

Pandorum star Ben Foster and veteran actor Donald Sutherland are set to join Jason Statham in The Mechanic, a remake of the Charles Bronson vehicle. The project is set to go into production in New Orleans in the next few weeks, with director Simon West at the helm.

The original film followed a hitman wanting to leave the business behind (Bronson), who meets a young man who wants to be his apprentice (Jan-Michael Vincent). In the remake, Statham will take over the Bronson role and Foster will play the apprentice, with Sutherland playing Statham's "handler".

Statham's previous film, the sequel Crank: High Voltage, was an underperformer at the box office back in April, grossing only $13.6 million against its $20 million budget, although it recently hit number one on the DVD/Blu-Ray sales and rental charts. Director Simon West previously helmed action hits like Con Air and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but his last major project was the horror remake When a Stranger Calls back in 2006, which earned $47.8 million domestically. The Mechanic is currently scheduled to open on December 15, 2010.