Franco, who was attached to the project in January, recently jumped ship as a result of contractual disagreements.  With production set to begin next month, it was imperative that the producers find a replacement with an appropriately recognizable name and face.  Now, according to Deadline, they've found that name and face in Chris Evans, who will now fill the role that started out with Franco.

The Iceman is based on the non-fiction book The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer.  The book, by Anthony Bruno, chronicles the exploits of Richard Kuklinski, a mafia enforcer and mass murderer responsible for the deaths of more than a hundred people with a cold blooded efficiency and shocking remorselessness. 

Kuklinski also happened to be a New Jersey husband and father to three children whose family and neighbors were utterly unaware of his profession.  His moniker comes from his experiments freezing his victims' bodies in an industrial freezer to disguise the time of their death.

Michael Shannon, the Boardwalk Empire and Take Shelter star, is set to play Kulkinski, and he's the perfect choice for the part.  Benicio Del Toro will play mafia boss Roy Demeo, to whom Kuklinski reported as a contract killer.  Evans, meanwhile, is now set to play Robert Pronge, aka Mr. Softee, who mentored Kuklinski as an efficient killer.  Ariel Vroman is set to direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Morgan Land.

*Evans also played the Human Torch in the two Fantastic Four features.  Just giving the full flavor of the comic book roles involved here.