Willem DafoeWillem Dafoe ("Spider-Man") has been tapped to topline as the villain in Fox Searchlight's drama "The Clearing" opposite Robert Redford and Helen Mirren, reports Variety.
Dafoe will portray a disgruntled employee who kidnaps wealthy exec (Redford) and negotiates a ransom through the exec's wife (Mirren).
Alessandro Nivola ("Jurassic Park III") is in negotiations to play the couple's son.
Lensing is scheduled to begin Sept. 23 in North Carolina.