Steven Lang (Avatar), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off) and Diego Tinoco ('Teen Wolf') have joined Aaron Eckhart in upcoming thriller Muzzle.

Directed by John Stalberg Jr. (Crypto) and written by Carlyle Eubank (The Signal) from a story by Eubank and Stalberg Jr., the film is being co-financed and sold by Highland Film Group, with principal photography scheduled to start this summer.

Muzzle follows LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser (Eckhart) who has just witnessed the shocking murder of his dedicated partner by a mysterious assailant. As he investigates the shooter’s identity, he uncovers a vast conspiracy that has a chokehold on the city in a journey through the tangled streets of Los Angeles and the corrupt bureaucracy of the LAPD.

Muzzle is produced by Broken Open Pictures’ David Frigerio (Crypto), Stalberg Jr. and Ford Corbett (the upcoming Where All Light Tends to Go starring Billy Bob Thorton and Robin Wright). The film is executive produced by Dallas Sonnier and Michael J. Weiss alongside Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier from Highland Film Group. The movie is being cast by David Gugliemo.

“Muzzle is a captivating thriller with an incredible ensemble cast, led by the talented Aaron Eckhart,” said Highland Film Group’s CEO Arianne Fraser.

“Truth and conspiracy powerfully interweave themselves throughout the film – it’s an intense and high-octane film that today’s audiences love. We cannot wait to see the cameras roll on this exciting project from director John Stalberg Jr.,” added COO Delphine Perrier.

Eckhart is repped by CAA and Hirsch, Wallerstein, Hayum, Matloff, and Fishman; Lang is repped by Lisa Lieberman at Innovative Artists (New York); Tinoco is repped by Paradigm, Impact Artists Group and Jackoway Austen; Eubank is repped by Alex Hertzberg at Atlas Literary.

By Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter