With Kim Jee-Woon's The Last Stand scheduled to go into production next month, we should expect a good number of casting announcements in the coming weeks. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is set to star in the movie, it was recently announced that Swedish actor Peter Stormare is in negotiations for a part as one of the villains. But they're still far from finished and now the project is close to adding another actor on the hero side.

Latino Review has learned that Rodrigo Santoro, who played Paulo on Lost and Xerxes in Zack Snyder's 300, is currently in talks for a part in The Last Stand. The story centers on an aging sheriff named Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger) who finds himself as the only thing standing in between a fugitive cartel leader and the Mexican border. Should the paper work be signed, Santoro will play Frank Martinez, a police officer working under Owens who helps fight off the evil force headed their way. The character is described as "reliable but likes to occasionally cut loose and party when he has the chance" and is friends with a fellow officer named Jerry, who has yet to be cast. Based on a script by Andrew Knauer and Jeffrey Nachmanoff and rewritten by George Nolfi, The Last Stand hits theaters on January 18, 2013.

As though it weren't exciting enough that this project is Kim Jee-Woon's first English-language film and will be Arnold Schwarzenegger's first big film following his political career, The Last Stand is starting to develop an interesting supporting cast. As the start date gets closer and closer, with any luck that pattern will continue.