Thanks to his work in The Hangover, most of America sees Bradley Cooper as the cocky comedic asshole, not unlike Vince Vaughn back when he was actually doing funny movies. His movies since haven't exactly strayed from that tone (though even the thought of watching All About Steve or Valentine's Day is enough to depress anybody.) Even his big role this summer, as Templeton "Faceman" Peck in The A-Team is expected to garner some laughs. Come March 18, 2011, though, you probably won't be doing much chuckling.

Rogue Pictures has just announced the above release date for The Dark Fields, a thriller in which Cooper (who actually replaced Shia LaBeouf for the role) co-stars with the incredibly versatile Elizabeth Banks and Robert DeNiro. Directed by Neil Burger (The Illusionist), Cooper stars as Eddie Spinola, a struggling writer who gets his hands on an experimental drug that raises his IQ. Following initial success, however, the side effects of the drug begin to take hold, including one known as "trip-switching," which is described as "a phenomenon in which time moves with a stop-motion quality."

The novel by Alan Glynn, on which the film is based, was treated to some very high praise and the concept of "trip-switching" could make for some fantastic cinematography. The film is still in pre-production and is still rounding out its cast, but this could very well be one film to keep an eye on.