The 35-year-old actor will star opposite Dylan O'Brien and Michael Keaton in the adaptation of Vince Flynn's graphic novel of the same name.
- Aug 19, 2016
AceShowbiz - Taylor Kitsch has signed on to star in "American Assassin", an adaptation of Vince Flynn's graphic novel of the same name published in 2010. The 35-year-old actor will join Dylan O'Brien and Michael Keaton in the film that follows CIA counter-terrorist operative Mitch Rapp (O'Brien), according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The "John Carter" and "Battleship" star will portray the villain, a mysterious operative intent on starting a world war in the Middle East. In the upcoming thriller, his villainous character will be taken down by Rapp and his mentor Stan Hurley (Keaton), a Cold War veteran, who are enlisted by the CIA to investigate a wave of attacks on both military and civilian targets.
"American Assassin" will be directed by "Kill the Messenger" helmer Michael Cuesta with a script written by "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" scribe Stephen Schiff. The production is expected to begin in September with shooting taking place in London and Budapest. Lorenzo di Bonaventura ("Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit") and Nick Wechsler ("Under the Skin") are producing the film. CBS Films and Lionsgate are co-financing the project.
The logline reads, "Long before he began hunting terrorists, Mitch Rapp was a gifted college scholar/athlete. Then, a tragedy struck and Rapp was recruited into the nation's most elite covert operations program. After completing training designed to teach the kind of lethal skills necessary to target the most dangerous enemies, here and abroad, he is a man reborn with a mission of retribution."
Kitsch made his breakout performance after portraying Tim Riggins on "Friday Night Lights". He appeared in HBO's acclaimed AIDS drama "The Normal Heart" and starred as Officer Paul Woodrugh in the second season of "True Detective". He can next be seen in "Granite Mountain" alongside Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and Ben Hardy.
