News today from Crime Scene Pictures partners Adam Ripp and Rob Paris that Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay have joined the cast of Gambit, based on the 1966 British caper comedy of the same name starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.

Academy Award Winner Colin Firth is set to star alongside Cameron Diaz, with Michael Hoffman directing from an adapted screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen. Said Ripp and Paris in a statement: “We are thrilled to have added two world-class actors to our already formidable cast. Alan and Sir Tom are the perfect additions to this classic comedic heist.” CBS Films recently acquired U.S. distribution rights; production begins in May, with no word yet on a
potential theatrical release date, though one expects early 2012 is a decent bet.