The Hitman’s Bodyguard has officially been handed his assignment and dispatched into production.
Patrick Hughes’ (The Expendables 3) action-comedy, one led by Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, has now been ushered in front of the cameras for a rip-roaring adventure that also features Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Daredevil starlet Elodie Yung and Gary Oldman as Vladislav Dukhovich, a bloodthirsty Eastern European dictator. Well, you know how Oldman likes to play the baddie.
For the flick, Reynolds will take point as Michael Bryce, the “world’s top protection agent” who find himself protecting the most unusual client – a notorious hitman. Playing the ice-cold role of that hired gun is Samuel L. Jackson, and much of The Hitman’s Bodyguard is said to revolve around the pair’s comedic dynamic.
For Hughes’ picture, Reynolds and Jackson have “been on opposite ends of a bullet for years. They hate each other. Now they’re stuck together and have 24 hours to get from England to The Hague. The only thing standing in their way is everything a murderous Eastern European dictator (Oldman) can throw at them.” As for Yung, she’ll step into the shoes of Interpol agent Amelia Roussel.
Set for a globe-trotting adventure across London, Amsterdam and Bulgaria, The Hitman’s Bodyguard will be produced by Mark Gill, John Thompson, Matt O’Toole and Les Weldon, while Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman leverage executive producing duties between them.
Now that production is officially a go on the set of The Hitman’s Bodyguard, expect Reynolds’ Deadpool follow-up to drop at some point towards the end of 2016 or, potentially, the beginning of 2017.