According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Harsh Times" is the coming of age story of two men in their 20s set in Ayers' favorite locale - South Central Los Angeles. Bale and Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under") play the two leads, with Longoria playing Rodriguez's character's girlfriend.
Ayers told The Hollywood Reporter he held on to this project even after other producers and studios were interested in snatching it up. Ayers said, "It's not written by committee. The reason I wrote this is I wanted to know what would it feel like to kill your best friend. And what would it take to get to that point. I want this to be as authentic as possible and let the streets and people speak for themselves. This is a movie about the guys I grew up with and about the L.A. I know."
"Harsh Times" is set to begin shooting in late December 2004.
Christian Bale will next be seen in "Batman Begins" and also is working on the Terrence Malick film, "The New World," with Colin Farrell.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
