It was revealed back in March that Departed writer William Monahan was putting the disappointment of his directorial debut London Boulevard in the past and throwing himself back into the writing/directing game with crime thriller Mojave. He’s just locked in two leading men for the film, as Jason Clarke and Oscar Isaac are now on board.

And with the casting information – reported by Variety – comes a little more detail about the film itself, including a brief synopsis.

Mojave will largely focus on the main pair for the story of a man who escapes into the desert, only to find a doppelganger-like antagonist and get drawn into a vortex of criminality and vortex. So it sounds like Monahan is in familiar territory, even if the setting will be a little different this time around.

Both Clarke and Isaac are seeing their careers ignite at the moment. Clarke appeared in Lawless and is drawing good reviews for his work in Zero Dark Thirty. Isaac was part of The Bourne Legacy and Channing Tatum ensemble comedy drama 10 years, which could see him scoring an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. He’s staying musical next year, appearing as the lead in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis.

With support from Dark Knight Rises producer Charles Roven’s Atlas Independent company, Monahan is looking to start shooting next year.