Lionsgate
Were you expecting Jason Statham to play a doctor or a lawyer in his next film? Maybe a professor? Well don’t hold your breath, because the bald British badass is in negotiations to play an assassin in the action thriller THE KILLER’S GAME, the Tracking Board has confirmed.
D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye) will direct the adaptation of Jay Bonansinga’s novel, which has been making the rounds in Hollywood for more than 20 years. STX Films is now in discussions to finance and and distribute the film, which is being produced by Andrew Lazar of Mad Chance and Steve Richards of Endurance Media.
Statham will play a veteran assassin who takes out a hit on himself after being diagnosed with a painful terminal illness. The catch? It turns out he was misdiagnosed, and now he must fend off the onslaught of fellow assassins out to cash in on the contract.
Michael Keaton and Wesley Snipes were previously attached to star in the project, which has attracted attention from directors John Woo, Renny Harlin, Alex Proyas, Simon Crane and Pitof over the years. Simon Kinberg even worked on the script at one point.
Caruso is coming off XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, while Statham has The Meg and Universal’s Fast and Furious spinoff on the horizon. Both are represented by CAA, and Statham is also repped by Current Entertainment. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news.
Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief
