Martin Scorsese’s next thriller, Shutter Island, already has the top-notch acting talent of Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo involved. Now comes word from Variety that Sir Ben Kingsley has also signed on. This is shaping up to be one of the best casts since the last adaptation of one of Dennis Lehane’s novels, Mystic River.

This Lehane story is about two U.S. Marshals (DiCaprio and Ruffalo) who go to the titular island off the coast of New England in 1954. The island houses a mental hospital for the criminally insane and the marshals are searching for a woman who escaped from the hospital but is still, presumably, on the island. Kingsley will play the chief physician who is probably up to no good. This is the first time Kingsley has teamed up with Scorsese. I guess it was a good idea that he did not do Cleaver for Christopher Moltiasanti. Although his 16 credits between 2004 and 2008 show it was about the only thing he passed on.

I read this book a few years back and although the plot basics are rattling around in my mind, I can’t quite remember exactly what happens. It was more a psychological thriller with DiCaprio’s character doubting his own sanity. I’m sure that Scorsese and this excellent cast will be able to do something with that.