The Square Enix video game Hitman is getting the cinematic reboot treatment courtesy of Fox International Productions.
Since the first flick based on the hit video game franchise wasn’t exactly a box office darling, executives at FIP are interested in putting together another movie. According to Spong , a different actor will reportedly step into the shoes of the title character.
Instead of asking Justified star Timothy Olyphant to reprise his role, producers have tapped Fast and Furious 6 co-star Paul Walker for the part. Writers Skip Woods and Michael Finch will handle the script, while commercial director Aleksander Bach will tackle directing duties on picture.
Deadline reports that Fox International Productions’ Sanford Panitch thinks the franchise stands to make a considerable amount of money in the United States. However, the company’s sites are seriously set on the foreign market. Both the video game series and Paul Walker are big draws in other territories.
Walker will reportedly travel to Berlin and Singapore to shoot the movie, which is currently operating under the title Agent 47 . Production is slated to begin this summer. When the film is finally in the can, 20th Century Fox will bring the action flick to moviegoers in the US.
Scripted by Skip Woods and directed by Xavier Gens, the first Hitman film hit theaters back in 2007. Although the flick received a lukewarm reception here in the States, it was a modest success in other markets. By the time its theatrical run had ended, the film generated around $100 million worldwide.
The video games tell the story of a professional assassin known only as Agent 47. Completely bald with a barcode across the back of his head, the man embarks on various missions in an effort to please his employers. While the games are heavy on the stealth, the first movie was more a “guns glazing” affair.
Are you a fan of the Hitman series? What do you think about the proposed reboot starring Paul Walker?
