Dame Helen Mirren has joined the cast of Red, the comic book-based action thriller that pits Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman against each other.
Based on Warren Ellis’ 2003/04 mini-series, Red will star Willis as a legendary assassin who must come out of retirement when Freeman’s CIA director decides that he knows too much, and decides to rub him out. Harder than you might think.
Mirren will apparently play one of Willis’ old colleagues, to whom he turns for assistance.
With Dame Helen on board alongside the seventysomething Freeman and the fiftysomething Willis, and this is increasingly sounding like Assassins meets Last Of The Summer Wine. We’re completely ok with that – just as long as it has a scene where Mirren and Willis outrun Freeman and his goons by leaping into an out-of-control shopping trolley…
Robert Schwentke will direct the Summit Entertainment movie, which is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian. Erich and Jon Hoeber wrote the script.
Filming will begin in January in Toronto and Louisiana, with Summit setting a Twilight-style quick turnaround for Schwentke – Red has a release date of November 19, 2010. Get a bloody move on, then!