According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci are in negotiations to join Clive Owen in New Line Cinema's Shoot 'Em Up, a hard-core action project from screenwriter-director Michael Davis. Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Rick Benattar are producing.

The story begins with a woman having a baby during a shootout. The man who delivers the baby, called simply Mr. Smith (Owen), is entrusted with protecting it from an army of gunmen. Giamatti would play the villain who wants the baby dead, and Bellucci would be Owen's love interest.

A January start date is being eyed.

Endeavor-repped Giamatti, who most recently appeared in Cinderella Man. is getting ready to shoot M. Night Shyamalan's Lady in the Water. He has indies The Hawk Is Dying and The Illusionist on tap. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in Sideways.

One of France's leading actresses, Bellucci has appeared in The Matrix sequels, Tears of the Sun and The Passion of the Christ. She next appears in The Brothers Grimm.