Michael Fassbender has climbed aboard Quentin Tarantino's latest project, Inglorious Bastards.

According to Variety, Simon Pegg had been in talks for the role (Lt. Archie Hicox), but was forced to ankle after what he described on his website as "insurmountable scheduling difficulties."

Brad Pitt has signed on for the lead role as a Tennessee hillbilly who assembles a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to take on the Nazis. Also on board are Mike Myers and Eli Roth. Tarantino is courting Nastassja Kinski, David Krumholtz and B.J. Novak.

The role would arguably be the highest-profile yet for Fassbender, who has begun to draw comparisons to Daniel Day-Lewis for his intense dedication to his work. The actor emaciated himself to play Sands in the latter stages of his hunger strike.

Production is said to begin on October 14 in Germany.