Philip Seymour Hoffman is set to join the cast of Charlie Wilson's War, the story about the covert work in Afghanistan to assist the rebels in their war against the Russian invading forces. Already cast is Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the Mike Nichols directed film.

According to Variety through Coming Soon, he's also set to lead Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a similarly strong cast film directed by Sidney Lumet, which tells the tale of two brothers robbing of their parents story which goes horribly wrong. Patricia Arquette, Sean Astin, Albert Finney, Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei star.

Hoffman seems to be having a career that's just growing and growing, and no wonder, he's a superb talent. I'm excited about both movies, especially with the excellent cast. However I'm particularly interested to see if the Afghanistan tale shows us the consequences of the American assistance and funding pulling out as soon as the rebels have won, pulling out of their promises to assist them in rebuilding their country. Will the makers and studio have the strength to make that tale, and will the public accept it?