"300" star, rapper rock for Ritchie crime movie

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "300" hero Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges have been cast in "RocknRolla," writer/director Guy Ritchie's return to the caper genre.

Butler stars as a street-smart mobster who has learned to play both sides of the fence, while Wilkinson plays an old-school mob boss whose regime is quickly losing ground to foreign interlopers.

Newton acts as the love interest of Butler's character, and Bridges plays an American trying to break into the U.K. music scene.

The story is set in motion when a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal and millions of dollars are thrown up for grabs, with all of London's criminal underworld players wanting in on the action.

Ritchie, whose credits include "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," starting filming last week in London. Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing.

Butler will next be seen opposite Hilary Swank in the romantic drama "P.S. I Love You." Wilkinson next stars opposite George Clooney in the drama "Michael Clayton." Newton recently appeared in "Norbit" and "The Pursuit of Happyness." Bridges' credits include "Crash."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter