LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover") will star in "Dark Fields," a thriller said to be in the vein of "Fight Club" and "The Game."

Cooper plays a down-and-out writer who gets his hands on a top-secret pharmaceutical drug that makes one smarter. He experiences sudden financial and social success but soon discovers that the drug has lethal and lasting side effects, including "trip-switching," a phenomenon in which time moves with a stop-motion quality. Before long, mysterious antagonists are pursuing him.

Neil Burger will direct the Relativity Media project, which is based on a book by Alan Glynn. Universal will distribute via Relativity's Rogue Pictures.

Shia LaBeouf was originally attached to star in the project.

"Fields" continues Cooper's hot streak since his success with "The Hangover." The actor has signed on to several projects since that movie became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all time, including "The A-Team."

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