Benicio Del Toro joins cast of SAVAGES

Benicio Del Toro has joined the cast of Savages from director Oliver Stone, according to Deadline. He will star as a deadly drug cartel enforcer alongside Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch in the drama, based on the best-selling book by Don Winslow. Savages is being courted by multiple studios, but Universal is close to a distribution deal. Johnson and Kitsch will star as Ben and Chon, "two best friends who are growers of primo pot in Laguna. They share an unusual relationship with a trippy girl named O. Not only are they all best friends, she has a relationship with each. Their quiet lucrative life is interrupted by a visit from the drug enforcer Lado (Del Toro) who tells them they will have to work for his boss, a Mexican cartel matriarch. When they refuse, O is kidnapped, and they are forced to come up with a fortune in ransom. They plot to do it by hijacking the cartel's drug supply, right under the nose of Lado, who is highly suspicious."

Stone is currently polishing the script with Shane Salerno and Winslow. Jennifer Lawrence was going to play O, until she was set for the lead in the Gary Ross-directed The Hunger Games at Lionsgate. I'm told that Stone has cast a wide net for O, looking at established names and unknowns. Salma Hayek is close to a deal to play the Mexican drug cartel matriarch. 

What are your thoughts on this casting news?