The Counselor is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated films of 2013. Ridley Scott is directing, the film marks the screenwriting debut of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, The Road), and the cast is insane: Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, and Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris. The story centers on an attorney (Fassbender) who gets in over his head when he teams with Bardem’s character to sell $20 million worth of cocaine. Though this may seem a simple premise, we can reasonably expect a great deal of depth given that this comes from the mind of McCarthy.

Production is now firmly underway and the first image of Pitt on the London set has hit the web. This marks a reteaming of sorts for the actor and his Thelma and Louise director, and in this first image Scott looks to have Pitt back in the cowboy hat. Hit the jump to take a look and to see what Pitt had to say about his involvement in the film.

First off, here’s an amusing quote from Pitt about his McCarthy obsession and his involvement with The Counselor from an interview with Empire in May:

“I’m only doing a few days on that. [Killing Them Softly director] Andrew [Dominik] and I are both Cormac McCarthy fans – I mean, I’ve read every word the guy’s published and most of them more than once. So this was a chance to do something of his and also to work with Ridley [Scott] again. Ridley gave me my first break into the big leagues. And I’m a [Michael] Fassbender fanatic too.”

It’s nice to see someone of Pitt’s stature so enthusiastic about a project, and I’m more than eager to see how The Counselor turns out. For now, this set photo via Just Jared will have to do: