"Lost" star Matthew Fox will play the villain in "I, Alex Cross," the latest film incarnation of the James Patterson's crime novel series character, according to Deadline.com. Tyler Perry is playing the titular detective.

Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") is directing, and Ed Burns will appear as Tommy Kane, Cross' partner. The film is in search of a distribution deal.

In the film, Fox will play Michael Sullivan, one of the biggest villains in the book series, a ruthless, mercenary killer also known as "the Butcher of Sligo." Pretty much the polar opposite of Fox's earnest Jack Shephard character on "Lost."

Previously, Alex Cross was played by Morgan Freeman in Paramount's "Kiss the Girls" (with Ashley Judd) and "Along Came A Spider."

Fox was also seen in 2008's box office disappointment "Speed Racer," directed by the Wachowskis.