The fallout from Paul Walker’s tragic death last year continues to be felt in the projects to which he was attached. One of them was 20th Century Fox’s planned reboot of game adaptation Hitman, now known as Agent 47. The studio has moved to find a new leading man, with Homeland’s Rupert Friend in talks.
Ads director Aleksander Bach is still planning to make his feature debut with the film, which has seen script input from original writer Skip Woods plus Kyle Ward and Michael Finch.
The basic elements should remain the same, with the plot focused on the bald-bonced titular agent who boasts a barcode tattoo on the back of his head and who carries out highly skilled assassinations.
It’s something of a gearshift for Friend on the big screen at least, as he’s better known for costume dramas, rom-coms and indie projects. Still, his work on Showtime drama Homeland gave him some much needed exposure as gun-toting CIA man Peter Quinn. He’ll next be seen in David Mackenzie’s much buzzed-about prison drama Starred Up, which played well at the London Film Festival and will be out here on March 21.
As for Hitman, while the original film made $100 million at the box office with Timothy Olyphant in the lead, it wasn’t exactly praised as high art or drama, nor was it considered particularly solid filmmaking. Perhaps Bach can make something that scores praise even as it looks to earn money.