Continuing the current upward trend of video-game movies releases and planned adaptations, it appears that Fox is as ready as ever to go ahead with production on a sequel to 2007’s Hitman; the film based on the Eidos games of the same name, that followed Agent 47 (played by Timothy Olyphant, Deadwood), one of many bald, barcoded, hitmen that were trained from children to operate as high-level assassins, on a quest to find the people who set him up to be killed.
However, despite the numerous, well received, games in the series, and an admirable performance from Olyphant, the first movie was widely regarded as an utter failure; receiving a barrage of negative reviews upon release, and only being tolerated by the most devout of fans; but still managed to rake in $100 million at the Box Office (which is a very solid return considering it only took $24-$30 million to produce) and makes the decision to green-light a sequel an easy one for the studio to make.
Daniel Benmayor (Paintball) is currently in talks to direct the feature, which has been scripted by Kyle Ward (the scribe who has also penned the upcoming game adaptation Kane & Lynch, which will star Bruce Willis; Surrogates; and Jamie Foxx; Law Abiding Citizen), and apparently uses plot elements from the fifth Hitman game, which has also yet to be released, and focusses on a severely beaten Agent 47 “building himself back psychologically and physically, to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.”
The main question that has everybody in the industry puzzled however, is whether or not Timothy Olyphant will reprise his role as the hair-challenged killer, since he’s not been too keen about Hitman since it was released, and has plenty to keep him occupied in the meantime; as he’s currently appearing in the hit TV series Justice, and has secured a pivotal role in I Am Number Four.
Fox do have the option of forcing his return, under contractual obligations (but he could still fight, or purposefully give a lackluster performance, if he so wished), but it’s not clear exactly what the studios intentions are just yet; it is clear that Agent 47 will be back, but as for Olyphant, that’s anybody’s guess at this point.
