When Woody Harrelson snagged the highly publicized role in Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, Harrelson’s acting creds were hardly up to par. He’d appeared in a well-loved comedy TV series and a lighthearted basketball comedy, hardly roles that displayed his chops to play the murder-loving, law-breaking, hardcore killer that has now become a screen cultural icon. Stone said at the time that he saw murder in Harrelson’s eyes, a strange comment to make considering the actor’s father was serving a prison sentence.

Now, Stone is giving Harrelson another role in the gritty Vietnam War drama Pinkville. The United Artists flick will focus on the 1968 My Lai Massacre, where 500 people were killed by U.S. soldiers. Harrelson’s role is Col. Henderson, the officer leading the task force who committed the massacre. Pinkville won’t be Stone’s first foray into the Vietnam War, and he’ll direct a star-studded cast in the flick. Production is scheduled to start next year.