Homeland star Rupert Friend will replace the late Paul Walker as the lead in Fox's new Hitman movie Agent 47, Hollywood news site Variety reports today.
The publication reports that Walker's commitment to project was a major factor in getting it greenlit, and after he died in a car crash last year, it became unclear if the film would begin shooting in February as planned.
Commercials director Aleksander Bach will direct Agent 47 from a script written by A Good Day to Die Hard writer Skip Woods and Michael Finch. The movie is a sequel to 2007's Hitman, which starred Timothy Olyphant as Agent 47.
The most recent Hitman game was 2012's Hitman: Absolution.
There are multiple new Hitman games in development, including a new AAA project from series creator IO Interactive, as well as mobile games from Square Enix Montreal.
The late 40-year-old “Fast & the Furious” star’s role in Nicholas Sparks’ ‘Best of Me’ has reportedly been offered to Marsden while his part in ‘Agent 47’ has Friend as the top choice.
Two months after Paul Walker's tragic death, Hollywood filmmakers have reportedly recast the late actor in two of his upcoming films.
Walker was set to star in Nicholas Sparks' latest romance, "The Best of Me," and according to Deadline, actor James Marsden has been offered the part.
The "X-Men" star, 40, is in talks to play the male lead in Walker's place.Walker, the star of the "Fast & the Furious" films, was also cast in the action film "Agent 47," which is set to be directed by Aleksander Bach and is the sequel to 2007's "Hitman."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, his role in that film may be offered to 31-year-old Rupert Friend.Friend is known for his role as Peter Quinn in Showtime series "Homeland" as well as his part opposite Keira Knightley in 2005's "Pride & Prejudice."
