Bakula and McHale will play FBI agents working with agri-business insider Mark Whitacre (Damon) to stop a price-fixing scam. The film is based on Kurt Eichenwald’s 2000 best-seller The Informant: A True Story.

Other new cast members known for their comedic turns are Mike O’Malley (CBS’ Yes, Dear), Andrew Daly (Semi-Pro), Adam Paul (Starz’ Hollywood Residential) and Melanie Lynskey (CBS’ Two and a Half Men). Comedian-actors Tom Wilson, Rick Overton and Tom Papa will round out the cast.

Although the subject matter is serious, one behind-the-scenes informant said Soderbergh is looking to create a thriller with dark comedy elements. He chose comedic actors who haven’t been overexposed on film, planning to have them play their roles seriously and have a humorous tone emerge naturally.

The prestige film is a breakthrough for McHale, who has gained a cult following on the same E! series that gave Greg Kinnear his start. It also marks one of the biggest big-screen roles for Bakula (Quantum Leap, Enterprise). Principal photography on the Warner Independent Pictures will begin soon.

Coppola replaces Bardem in “sex change” rewrite
In what Francis Ford Coppola is calling a “sex change” operation, Carmen Maura is replacing fellow Spaniard Javier Bardem in the family drama Tetro.

Coppola said he rewrote the pivotal role during rehearsals for the film’s 11-week shoot, which began Monday in Buenos Aires.

“One of the important roles in the script is a mentor and teacher to Tetro (Vincent Gallo), and I originally wrote it for a man. As I read and re-read (the script), I felt that the interaction between the two characters would be far more intriguing if they were of the opposite sex.”

The director often changes key elements of his script before and during filming, he said.

But according to another person involved in the deal, Bardem “became unavailable” for the project and is currently reading drafts of the script for his starring role in Rob Marshall’s adaptation of the Broadway musical Nine. Bardem, who recently won an Oscar for his supporting role in No Country For Old Men, never attended the rehearsals.

Pedro Almodovar staple Maura (Volver) joined around the time of rehearsals. Alden Ehrenreich and Maribel Verdu also star. Coppola’s American Zoetrope company is producing the $15 million production.