Hitman (Xavier Gens, 2007)

[Hai2u]

Trailer
Based off the videogame, I like Timothy Olyphant, but yeah...

[cdnchris]

I only occasionally buy computer games, but I have to admit I am a fan of the Hitman games and have bought all of them. I like the strategy element behind, like the fact you actually get points for not killing (except for your target obviously) and the last one added a lot of nice touches, was quite creative.

But why would you make a movie of it? It works as a game because you have to think your way through it, and that's really the only thing that kept me interested. In all honesty the stories aren't terribly interesting (I never found the character at all interesting and was usually bored by the storylines in the games) and they'll make a lousy movie.

Plus Olyphant, I'm sorry to say, looks like a pussy. Seriously, that guy?

[DrewReiber]

I am a fan of the Hitman games and have bought all of them.

I only recently played Blood Money and was very impressed. I'll probably pick up the multi-pack soon.

But why would you make a movie of it?

1) Built-in marketing. All they care about is whether or not they *think* they can sell it, as that's all studios seem to think about anymore. We're talking about the same industry that has a movie based on Monopoly in development.

2) They'll just sell it to fans of films like The Punisher. Vigilante shooting up loads of people who supposedly deserve it. Fox will undoubtedly cross-promote it with the home video release of Live Free or Die Hard, which was obviously aimed at the same demographic.

Personally, I'm looking more towards whatever the Hell Roger Avary is cooking with Wolfenstein...

[Antoine Doinel]

Personally, I'm looking more towards whatever the Hell Roger Avary is cooking with Wolfenstein...

I like Roger Avary but whatever happened to his planned film about Victor from The Rules Of Attraction?

[DrewReiber]

I like Roger Avary but whatever happened to his planned film about Victor from The Rules Of Attraction?

If you mean Glamorama, Avary's career as a writer-director appears to be in disrepair after the failure of Attraction. He's using his recent credibility from working with Zemeckis and Christophe Gans to try and use videogame movies to re-establish himself. I don't know if Glamorama will ever be made at this stage, but I think Avary and Ellis are still in contact. Hopefully someone will corner him on the subject while he's promoting Beowulf.

As for Glitterati, I'm not sure they ever plan to release it on the consumer market. Ellis has said that a screening may happen one day, but that's about it.

[Hai2u]

Variety has confirmed the rumors that Timothy Olyphant (Live Free or Die Hard) has been cast in the lead role, Agent 47, in the Luc Besson-produced Hitman at 20th Century Fox. Newcomer Xavier Gens will direct.

The trade says that Fox sees the film as having franchise potential, and Olyphant's deal allows for sequels.

Production is slated to begin in March in Europe. Skip Woods' script is based on the "Hitman" videogame franchise set in the world of Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin.

Besson is producing via his Europa Corp., along with Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh. Daniel Alter co-produces.

Vin Diesel was previously attached as the lead but opted out to star in Fox's big-budget tentpole Babylon A.D.

[cdnchris]

I only recently played Blood Money and was very impressed. I'll probably pick up the multi-pack soon.

Blood Money is probably the best one, the others will be a step down. Not as much freedom, the first one is really just feeling things out and there's really only a few ways to complete each mission. But they're still pretty good.

1) Built-in marketing. All they care about is whether or not they *think* they can sell it, as that's all studios seem to think about anymore. We're talking about the same industry that has a movie based on Monopoly in development.

2) They'll just sell it to fans of films like The Punisher. Vigilante shooting up loads of people who supposedly deserve it. Fox will undoubtedly cross-promote it with the home video release of Live Free or Die Hard, which was obviously aimed at the same demographic.

Yeah, I guess I knew that, but I'd like to think a studio would know when NOT to make something like this into a movie. Of course this is the same studio that made Garfield. The game itself wouldn't make a good movie so it'll just be a straight shoot-em-up I'm sure, which won't be terribly interesting either. As to Monopoly, wow.

And the casting is still baffling me. I have no interest in this movie at all no matter who plays in it, but Olyphant? Really? Vin would have been a better choice. Jason Statham for sure. Agh, whatever, it would be a piece of shit no matter what. At least Uwe Boll isn't directing it.

[Len]

Blood Money was a bit too easy to finish with all silent assasin rankings though (atleast on normal difficulty). Because of that, my favorite is still the second one, as that one was pretty challenging (achieving Silent assasin was really tough), not to mention having some of the best missions of the whole series (except for the awful missions set in japan with ninjas and whatnot). The first one can be skipped entirely, as the few best missions of it were remade for the third one if I remember correctly.

As for the movie, looks just horrible. The worst part in the games has always been the ridiculously bad backstory, and judging by atleast the first trailer, they managed to make it even worse by turning Hitman into some kind of warrior for good, as in the games he was entirely amoral (even if the targets were mostly "bad people", innocents in the wrong place at a wrong time were pretty much out of luck). Like chris said, the games work because the gameplay is inventive and offers stuff not usually seen in videogames, not because the player cares even the slightest bit about stuff like characters or the story or whatever. Then again, I guess being awful is somewhat to be expected in the illustrious genre of the videogame film, so I guess the movie will fit right in with such masterpieces as Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil and Super Mario.

I do quite like Olyphant tho, he was pretty badass as Seth Bullock in Deadwood, so I kinda could see him as 47.

[DrewReiber]

Fox Yanks HIT MAN From Director Xavier Gens

FOX Responds On HITMAN

[Antoine Doinel]

Judging by the thoroughly awful trailer ("Hey teenage boys! Mundanely orchestrated violence! Hey teenage boys! A girl wearing a thong underneath a see through dress!") Fox probably smells a turd in their hands are trying to make something redeemable out of it.

[kaujot]

If you mean Glamorama, Avary's career as a writer-director appears to be in disrepair after the failure of Attraction.

According to Ellis on an audio interview at the end of the audio book of Lunar Park, he said that Avary bought the lifetime rights to Glamorama, so at some point, I'm sure we'll see it.

[Svevan]

So don't go see this. Not fun, not exciting, not even so-bad-it's-good. There is no redeeming quality. I doubt anyone is going to be as stupid as I was and actually buy tickets for this turd.

The best part was the laugh-out-loud new trailer for Rambo, cut to Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor." Isn't this movie about Christian missionaries? Kept laughing all the way into the Hayden Christensen trailers.

edit: Olyphant's performance as Agent 47 is wooden and robotic. I think this is largely due to the awful script. The one actor who had a tiny bit of cred gives this film's worst performance.

[bunuelian]

When I saw the commercial for this the other day, I thought, "Wow, they made a movie from Hitman!" I really enjoy the games - they have a lot of style, character, and difficulty. But what could've been an interesting, tragically dark tale is turned, in the scenes I've seen, into just so much badly executed tripe.

[DrewReiber]

edit: Olyphant's performance as Agent 47 is wooden and robotic. I think this is largely due to the awful script. The one actor who had a tiny bit of cred gives this film's worst performance.

I don't know. Wooden and robotic seems to be one of his mainstay personas, as evidenced by Live Free or Die Hard and Costalines.

[patrick]

It's sad, because Olyphant is absolutely terrific in Deadwood - however his post-Deadwood choices leave a lot to be desired.

I'm definitely looking forward to Gens' Frontières, which is supposedly one of the better survival horror films of recent years - however, the word is that Lionsgate is about to butcher it to get an "R" in the US.

[Cold Bishop]

I'm definitely looking forward to Gens' Frontières, which is supposedly one of the better survival horror films of recent years - however, the word is that Lionsgate is about to butcher it to get an "R" in the US.

It sounds like just another gore-heavy torture film to me, with the added benefit of cannibal nazis (which I guess alone places it above Hostel or Saw).

[Svevan]

I'm definitely looking forward to Gens' Frontières, which is supposedly one of the better survival horror films of recent years - however, the word is that Lionsgate is about to butcher it to get an "R" in the US.

Don't get excited. I heard that Gens got his cut of Hitman into theatres. If this is true, Frontieres will suck, no matter whose cut is released.

[noelbotevera]

Hitman (Xavier Gens, 2007)