The Hitman's Bodyguard
| The Hitman's Bodyguard | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster, parodying The Bodyguard | |
| Directed by | Patrick Hughes |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Tom O'Connor |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Atli Örvarsson |
| Cinematography | Jules O'Loughlin |
| Edited by | Jake Roberts |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Films[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 118 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Hitman's Bodyguard is an upcoming American action comedy film directed by Patrick Hughes and written by Tom O'Connor. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek.
The plot follows a bodyguard who is hired to protect a hitman who has to testify at the International Court of Justice. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 18, 2017.
Synopsis
A special protection agent (Ryan Reynolds) is tasked with guarding the life of his mortal enemy, who is one of the world's most notorious hitmen (Samuel L. Jackson), and taking him from the United Kingdom to the International Court of Justice. On their way, they are on high-speed car chases and boat escapes as deadly assassins are pursuing them and they are forced to work together in order to defeat a ruthless, powerful and bloodthirsty Eastern European dictator (Gary Oldman).[3]
Cast
- Ryan Reynolds as Michael Bryce, a triple A rated executive protection agent
- Samuel L. Jackson as Darius Kincaid, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen and Sonia’s husband
- Gary Oldman as Vladislav Dukhovich, a merciless Eastern European dictator
- Élodie Yung as Amelia Roussel, an Interpol agent
- Salma Hayek as Sonia Kincaid, Darius’s equally notorious wife
- Joaquim de Almeida as Jean Foucher
- Kirsty Mitchell as Rebecca Harr
- Richard E. Grant as Seifert
- Sam Hazeldine as Garrett
Production
In May 2011, David Ellison's Skydance Media acquired the action script The Hitman's Bodyguard written by Tom O'Connor.[4] The script was among the top 2011 Black List of unproduced screenplays.[5] While originally intended as a drama, the script underwent a "frantic" two-week rewrite to be remade into a comedy several weeks prior to filming.[6]
On November 4, 2015, it was announced that Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman were cast in the film, which Jeff Wadlow would direct for Millennium Films. Producers would be Mark Gill, John Thompson, Matt O'Toole and Les Weldon.[7] On February 23, 2016, Élodie Yung and Salma Hayek were cast in the film, which Lionsgate would distribute in the United States.[8] On March 9, 2016, it was reported that Wadlow had exited the film and Patrick Hughes signed on to direct the film.[9][10]
Principal photography on the film began on April 2, 2016, in London, Amsterdam and Sofia.[8][9]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50% based on 10 reviews, and an average rating of 6/10.[11] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score 57 out of 100, based 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review and called it a pleasant late-summer surprise, writing: "The Hitman’s Bodyguard is about as close to a live-action cartoon as you’re likely to get this year...That’s not a style that works much of the time...but in the hands of The Expendables 3 helmer Patrick Hughes — and more importantly, owing to the chemistry of stars Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds — it makes for a delightfully ridiculous screwball action comedy."[13]
References
- 1 2 3 "Film Releases". Variety Insight. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ↑ "The Hitman's Bodyguard". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ↑ "New Trailer for 'The Hitman's Bodyguard' Starring Jackson & Reynolds". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 25, 2011). "Skydance nabs ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’". variety.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ Finke, Nikki (December 12, 2011). "The Black List 2011: Screenplay Roster". deadline.com. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson Are Your New Favorite Buddy Comedy Duo". Vice Media. August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (November 4, 2015). "Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman to Star in 'Hitman's Bodyguard' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
- 1 2 Jr, Mike Fleming (February 23, 2016). "Ryan Reynolds’ 1st Post-‘Deadpool’ Pic ‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’ Adds Elodie Yung, Salma Hayek, Sam Jackson, Gary Oldman". Deadline. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- 1 2 Verhoeven, Beatrice (March 9, 2016). "Ryan Reynolds' 'Hitman's Bodyguard' Lands Director Patrick Hughes". TheWrap. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (31 March 2017). "CinemaCon: Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds Hit Target in ‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’". Variety.
- ↑ "The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ↑ "The Hitman's Bodyguard reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
- ↑ Peter Debruge (August 10, 2017). "Film Review: 'The Hitman's Bodyguard'". Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2017.