Bradley Cooper rides in to replace Jude Law in 'Jane Got a Gun'

It's not often a production that has experienced quite the turmoil as Jane Got a Gun ends up on the positive when all is said and done. The anticipated western developed by director Lynne Ramsay went through a tumultuous week, losing star Michael Fassbender, only to have Jude Law come in and replace him. But the biggest bump in the road came when Ramsay herself bailed just as filming was to begin. Gavin O'Connor replaced her soon after, only for Law to cut his losses and skip town. Shooting did ultimately start up without Law's villain role filled, but now it's been taken up by none other than Bradley Cooper.

The red-hot Cooper saddles up for the film that also stars Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, and Rodrigo Santoro. Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire, and Jake Gyllenhaal were considered for the part, but none of them have quite the same profile as Cooper holds right now, coming off Silver Linings Playbook. He's also earning high acclaim for his performance in The Place Beyond the Pines, which is out in theaters right now.

He joins Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, and Rodrigo Santoro in the film about a woman whose outlaw husband turns on his gang and returns home riddled with bullets. When his old crew comes looking to finish the job, she turns to a gun-slinging former flame to help defend her home. Cooper will play the gang's leader.

Cooper has been filming David O. Russell's upcoming Abscam drama, so there is either a break or his scenes are completed. Either way, this has be seen as a step up for the troubled film, which is aiming to hit theaters in 2014. [Deadline]