Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper) and Josh Brolin (Gangster Squad) have joined Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s long-awaited Sin City sequel A Dame to Kill For. Gordon-Levitt will play degenerate gambler Johnny—a character created for the movie— while Brolin steps in as private dick Dwight McCarthy.

Those wondering why Clive Owen isn’t back in the role of Dwight this time out will find answers in the synopsis:

In Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Dwight is hunted down by the only woman he ever loved, Ava Lord, and then watches his life go straight to hell.

Chronologically, this story takes place prior to “The Big Fat Kill” (featured in the film Frank Miller’s Sin City) and explains how Dwight came to have a dramatically different face.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For stars original players Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King and Mickey Rourke. They’re joined by newbies Jamie Chung (Sucker Punch), Christopher Meloni (“True Blood”) and Playboy model Crystal McCahill.

Production on the sequel began on Oct. 29 at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas. It is slated for release Oct. 4.