After bursting onto the scene in 2009 with a blistering lead performance in Neill Blomkamp’s District 9, South African actor Sharlto Copley seemed to have big things ahead of him. He followed that role up by playing Murdock in The A-Team, but the disappointing box office performance of the movie prevented it from turning into a lucrative franchise for him. Since then we haven’t seen or heard much of Copley aside from his announced involvement in Blomkamp’s next film Baja Dunes (formerly known as Elysium). Fortunately, this week he has apparently closed deals for two notable upcoming films, one of which is a major role in Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake. Hit the jump for all the details.

According to Deadline, Copley has officially been cast as the villain in Oldboy, corroborating reports that he had been in talks for the part a week or two ago. The character is named Adrian Pryce and is described as “a mysterious billionaire trying to destroy the life of Joe Douchett (Josh Brolin)”, but if you’re familiar with the original you’ll have a better idea of what he’s up to. Christian Bale was previously rumoured to be up for the role as of last year, but never officially came on board.

In addition, Copley has also signed on for Open Grave, the next film from Apollo 18 director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego. The plot revolves around a character who “wakes up in [a] pit full of rotting bodies with no idea how he got there, [and] begins to have flashbacks of himself murdering people and starts to believe he’s the killer.” The movie starts production this month in Hungary and the premise is intriguing even if Lopez-Gallego’s last film wasn’t particularly well-received. Are you a fan of Sharlto Copley? Are you pleased to see him join both of these projects?