Channing Tatum has signed on to the Iraqi War drama, Stop Loss for Paramount Pictures.

The film already stars Ryan Phillippe as a soldier who finishes a tour of duty in Iraq only to be told that he has to serve another so he goes AWOL. Variety reports Tatum plays a hot-shot fighter from Texas.

Kimberly Peirce wrote the script and will direct Stop Loss. Shooting was set to begin back in April, and a 2007 release had been set, but they didn't have a cast together; look for production to get under way in the next few months.