The Hitman is Cast!!!!
 

Timothy Olyphant to Play Hitman
Source: Ain't It Cool News
December 5, 2006


Ain't It Cool News reports that Timothy Olyphant has landed the title role in the adaptation of the Eidos video game Hitman, Vin Diesel was previously attached to star in the role.

The site has learned that the script by Skip Woods (Swordfish) has received the green light from 20th Century Fox.

Luc Besson will co-produce along with Chuck Gordon, Adrian Askarieh and Daniel Alter. The film dould be in theaters as early as next fall.

Olyphant also stars as Bruce Willis' nemesis in Fox's Live Free or Die Hard.


Talk about out-of-the-left field actor. Thank goodness it ain't Vin Diesel. Olyphant is a great underated actor though :edgarrock:

ah i was hoping vin would do it, never heard of this guy before. But noone looks as good as Christian Bale as a murderer in a expensive suit

Yes, Bale and Diesel would have been good choices. Looking over that Olyphant guy's pictures at IMDB, I just cannot picture him with the bald head and that completely detached 47 gaze. More importantly, I have serious doubts that the filmmakers will dare to touch the essence of the game series' gameplay: Mercilessly killing off people, with creativity, elegance and a lot of dark humor involved. 47 isn't a nice person, probably not even an anti-hero but I bet they will try to turn him into just that.

Edit: Oh, and it's a Fox production, I shall abandon all hope for a decent movie then.

In before 'GAME MOVIES ARE ALWAYS SHITTY! GUFFAWHAHAHAHAHA!'

Thank you.

I'm fairly happy about it. Though Diesel could've pulled it of, he seems out of place... I can't understand why they didn't use David Bateson, though...

:doh:

Yeh I agree can't imagine this guy as 47 either, but hey couldn't really see David Craig pulling off Bond, but I was pleasently surprised :edgarrock:

Even if you DON'T have doubts, watch Deadwood.
Yes, it IS that good.

Dev and Tellurian are right. This guy has one of the most intense glares I've ever seen on television. He also happens to be an awesome actor. In all honesty, I think he's too good for a movie like this. Hitman just screams "Doom"-quality, personally.

No Jason Statham? Damn, that man IS Agent 47 :(

Actually, THIS man http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061055/ is Agent 47, literally. He's both the voice of the character and the basis for the character model. If there would ever be a casting that would support game-movie continuity, it would be this, but this Timothy Olyphant fellow seems solid enough. I could see a 47-style glare in the picture that was posted in this thread. Jason Statham looks like 47 enough I suppose, but I don't think his acting style or voice really lends itself that much to Agent 47, not cold or detached enough.

I've been a fan of the hitman series for quite a while, so I wonder which story they'd follow overall, considering the series doens't really have alot of story to begin with, or just do a new one. I don't think I'd mind either way, an adaptation or a translation as the stories are rather threadbare anyhow.

This is the same problem I have with Vin Diesel: Well-known Actors sought for sheer physical resemblance to a character is a much less credible method in casting selection, rather then on the actor's innate and shown talent on screen... I feel this is why they chose Timothy Olyphant. I'm not saying Vin Diesel or Jason Statham don't have talent (The DEGREE of talent they have is left to your own personal opinion), but they are not fit for the part, if this movie were to be better in quality then say Doom or Lara Croft (Which are the closest to being 'middle-ground', as far as video-game to movie adaptations go, IMO).

However who knows? Vin Diesel is a known video-game player so I think that sort of... enthusiasm might have boosted his ability to portray the character... but then again it might have hindered him as well.

Ah well best TV glares I got to give to Millar, even he would be good for the role.

http://xtramsn.co.nz/homepage2/image...878589,00.jpeg

thats kinda scary how David Bateson actually resembles agent 47. Wonder if they actually based it with him in mind.

They did. He's the VA and model for Hitman. Which makes it pretty funny to watch him in a British styled Christmas Carbaret... This year he quoted Monty Python and wore a kilt. Hitman... In a kilt? The image just won't leave my head.

"Hello 47, your next assignment leads you to Scotland..." :rolleyes:

When I first saw "The Transporter" years ago I said Jason Statham should be in "The Hitman" movie if there ever would be one. Not only because he resembles the game character but because in the beginning of the movie he was a real professional and he stayed to his role and it fits into how a hitman should be, professional. Later in the movie he comes out of his role which sucks but ignoring that he seems to fit the part for hitman.... and his bald head reminds me of hitman.... XD

Hm, never heard of the guy. Looks like it will be an interesting movie though. I played some of the game before and had fun with it. I sure hope the movie isn't a disappointment.

Agreed on all counts!
I love his glare and how he always looks like he's seething with suppressed rage. Wouldn't want that guy as my enemy.

....I nicknamed him Mr. Furious because of it. *hides*

same here, but who knows how the movie will turn out when it happens.
Some VG movies weren't that bad, we'll see how it goes

Luc Besson is producing? This movie is doomed.

all I can say is thank god it wasn't vin diesel

Bit of a bump but some set shots with the first look at Olyphant as Agent 47:
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7585/hit1ls9.png

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/350/hit2cv1.png

This also seems to be the official synopsis for the film:

He looks too "kind" to be 47 :mad:

Oh man. This sounds too much like Leon with Natalie Portman.

I doubt he'll be stealthy in the least in this movie. It'll just be a HNNGH BOOM EXPLOSIONS GUNFIGHTS NONSTOP. HITMAN ISN'T A PANSY NOSIRREE. EXPLOSIONS AGAIN.

For a moment there I thought I was looking at a young Dennis Quaid. I haven`t seen Deadwood to know if Timothy Olyphant has what it takes to be Hitman but I`m glad they didn`t cast Vin Diesel, I only liked him in Pitch Black.