As expected, the casting has begun to pick up for Quentin Tarantino‘s now in full-swing Inglorious Bastards. Recently it was announced that Eli Roth would have a role in the film and earlier today it was reported that B.J. Novak from The Office was in talks for a role. But now the first big-time casting announcement is that Brad Pitt has officially signed on to play Aldo Raine, a southerner who leads a group of Jewish-American soldiers against the Nazis. Roth will be playing Sgt. Donnie Donowitz and Novak is up for the role of PFC Utivich.

Simon Pegg and David Krumholtz are also in talks to join the cast.

This is the biggest news for this project so far, as with all the questions after Grindhouse looming behind him, Tarantino now has the face of Brad Pitt anchoring his project, which has to be about as comforting as a hot chocolate bath on a cold night for Universal and The Weinstein Co. who recently partnered to back the film (see Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Bastards’ Gets Backing).

Let’s hope this is just the start of many more big-time casting announcements for this project.

Inglorious Bastards will begin production in Germany on October 13, 2008.

[Source: /Film]