Director Kim Jee-Woon has signed on to Brubaker and Phillips' "Coward"

The movie adaptation of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' "Coward" appears to be moving forward as Kim Jee-Woon has signed to direct the Brubaker-written screenplay.

"Variety" reports that the Korean director, best known to English-speaking audiences for his non-Korean debut with last year's Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle "The Last Stand," has penned a deal to bring the Eisner Award-winning comic to the big screen.

"Coward" is the first volume of "Criminal," Brubaker and Phillips' multiple award-winning series of miniseries exploring different aspects of the crime fiction genre. The comic tells the story of Leo Patterson, a brilliant yet cowardly second-generation thief who is convinced to work an armored car heist. When Leo finds himself the victim of a double-cross, he is forced to hide from both the police and other criminals while devising a plan to save his life.

"If Ryan Gosling hadn't already been in 'Drive,' he'd be perfect (for the role of Leo)," Brubaker told Variety when the adaptation was first announced in 2011. "It's a good role for any actor; about a guy who's afraid to do things because of what's inside of him. It's a heist story, partly -- it's a lot of different crime stories wrapped in one, but heist stories are always exciting if they're pulled off correctly."

Electric City Entertainment's Jamie Patricof and Lynett Howell are producing the film. David Slade ("30 Days of Night," "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse") was originally announced as the adaptation's director.