Even before he bailed on D.J. Caruso and his plans to make a Y: The Last Man movie, Shia LaBeouf was being cagey about his participation in Dark Fields, director Neil Burger's sci-fi project about a drug that can make you smart. Back in 2008 Burger told us he had been planning to shoot that winter but that they'd already hit delays thanks to LaBeouf's broken hand. Now they've done the only smart thing and ditched him entirely.

Bizarrely, though, they've decided to replace him with Bradley Cooper, who is in no way at all like LaBeouf as a screen presence. Still, he's a big name, and big names bring in money. Cooper will play Eddie, a New York writer who received a so-called smart drug and finds himself in a whole world of trouble he couldn't imagine. Burger said in the press release, “I am really delighted that all of the elements of this project have come together in such a great way. I have been intrigued by the prospect of bringing this story to the screen for quite some time and I am very much looking forward to collaborating with Bradley, who I think is one of our finest working actors today.”

What's interesting about this is that it's a dramatic role for Cooper, who is known almost entirely for comedy at this point. I have no doubt he's capable of pulling it off, and I actually respect him a little more for wanting to take on something new. Your loss, Shia.