"Gossip Girl" star Blake Lively has joined the ensemble cast that Ben Affleck is assembling for "The Town," a crime thriller he's directing.

In addition, Chris Cooper is in negotiations to board the Warner Bros. movie.

Affleck, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall and Jeremy Renner already are cast in "Town," an adaptation of Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves."

The story follows a bank manager (Hall), the career criminal (Affleck) who stole more than her heart and the dedicated FBI agent (Hamm) trying to bust the crook and his gang, of which Renner is a part.

Lively is playing Renner's sister and Affleck's troubled ex-girlfriend. Cooper would play Affleck's father.

Lively returns as Serena van der Woodsen on the CW's "Gossip." whose new season begins September 14. She also will be seen on the big screen in "New York, I Love You."

Cooper, who won an Academy Award for "Adaptation," also appears in "New York" and the upcoming drama "The Company Men," which stars Affleck.

Source: Reuters