Russell Crowe joins Broken City

Russell Crowe has signed on to neo-noir thriller Broken City , playing a politician who hires Mark Wahlberg's private investigator to find out if his wife is cheating.

Wahlberg - who will also serve as producer on the film - previously described the script as “one of the best unproduced screenplays, an amazing piece of material that should attract amazing talent.”

Rumours that Crowe took the film because it doesn't have any mention of metal or men in the title (his next two projects are Man Of Steel and The Man With The Iron Fists ) are yet to be confirmed.

Crowe plays the mayor of the city, with Wahlberg the ex-cop who confirms the politician's fears – only for the wife's lover to turn up dead soon after.

Allen Hughes ( The Book Of Eli ) will direct Broken City , from an original screenplay written by Brian Tucker.