However, it appears 2015 has bigger plans for the category itself, for there are numerous spy films booking their dates within the year, bringing sheer excitement and joy to those who have a weak spot for these kinds of motion pictures.
Taken 3
Liam Nesson has not had enough with giving international villains the sum of all fears. Reprising his role as a retired CIA operative, Brian Mills, he leads us into a third installment in the series, with Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen reprising their own respective roles. This time, Brian Mills goes on the run to clear his name, framed for a crime he did not commit. Principal photography began in March and continued through April, from Los Angeles to Covington, Georgia. It appears the pursuit will take place in USA in this entry, as opposed to the previous ones that took us from France to Turkey. Olivier Megaton returns to direct the film, having previously done Taken 2 back in 2012, along with the iconic duo, Luc Besson (who's also producing it) and Robert Mark Kamen writing the script. The film will be released on 9th of January 2015.
The Gunman
Pierre Morel, the man who brought us the first Taken film and the third installment in The Transporter series is bulking up for his own spy thriller, based on the novel The Prone Gunman by Jean-Patrick Manchette. It stars Sean Penn as an international covert operative, Martin Terrier, who wants out of the game, so he can settle down with his longtime lover (played by Jasmine Trinca). However, the organization he works for has other plans in mind, forcing him to go on the run across Europe. Also starring Idris Elba, who plays a ruthless French assassin called Dupont, hunting down Terrier all over the continent. Javier Bardem will be playing the main villain, who goes mano a mano with the hero, revealing to be the husband of Terrier's love interest. Ray Winstone, on the other hand, will be playing Martin Terrier's mentor, guiding him through the actions he takes. The film will be released on 20th of February 2015.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
It has been a long time, well not that long, since we saw a fantasy-oriented spy thriller hitting the theatres. And the latest one was Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol back in 2011, a blockbuster movie that brought the over-the-top secret agent image back to life, again. Based on Mark Millar's graphic novel, The Secret Service, Matthew Vaughn adapts the comic book to film with major changes yet keeping the atmosphere and the basis of the storyline intact. Gary Unwin is a street punk, who is trained by the military for government operations purposes once, but no longer bears connection with them. One day, he is taken under a man's wing, who claimed he knew Gary's father, a secret agent he used to work with once in the past. The man is named Harry Hart, who recruits Gary to an international intelligence agency "operating on the highest level of discretion," called Kingsman. Starring Colin Firth as Hart, who replaces the Uncle Jack figure from the comics, and Taron Egerton as Gary, his protege. It also stars Samuel L. Jackson as the main villain, along with the bionic henchwoman, Gazelle, played by Sofia Boutella. Mark Hamill, as in the graphic novel, makes an appearance as a kidnapped scientist, playing a role other than himself as opposed to the source material. Michael Caine plays Arthur, the head of the organization, and Mark Strong plays Merlin, the chief training officer of the Kingsman recruits. The film was previously said to be on its way in late 2014, twice, but was pushed back, to be released on 13th of February 2015.
Survivor
Milla Jovovich brings her extreme elegance to a genre that was dying to have her in, joining the list of appreciated cinematic spies in this thriller called Survivor. Milla plays a State Department visa security officer, who has been newly posted in the US Embassy in United Kingdom. At all sudden, she is accused for a crime she did not commit, and is forced to go on the run. Given the responsibility to prevent the terrorists from infiltrating the United States Government, she has to make sure to keep her promise, stop a world-wide catastrophe and clear her name in the process. Meanwhile, she is hunted down by a very deadly and fearsome assassin, called The Watch Maker, played by Pierce Brosnan. It also stars Angela Bassett, James D'Arcy, Dylan McDermott, and Emma Thompson. The film is directed by James McTeigue, known for his work on Ninja Assassin, written by Philip Shelby, and produced by Irwin and Charles Winkler's. A release date is yet to be announced, but sources claim it will be coming out sometime in 2015.
Hitman: Agent 47
The world's most fearsome and professional ice-cold assassin, Agent 47, is back on the big screen. Promised to be truer to its source material and the themes that are originated in the video game franchise the film is based on, Hitman: Agent 47 ignores the events of the first film, and creates a new timeline for its cinematic universe. The story revolves around a young woman, Katia van Dees, looking for her father and learn about her ancestry. She comes across Agent 47, a mysterious assassin, who holds her hand and provides her with all the help she needs. In the process, however, together they discover that Katia is genetically engineered assassin in the same vein as 47 himself, and together they must fight The Syndicate to uncover the truth. In many ways, the plot is similar to the latest entry in the video game series, Hitman: Absolution, in which 47 had to protect a girl who was also genetically engineered assassin created by the ICA, the organization he works for. The film stars Rupert Friend as the titular character, Hannah Ware as Katia, Thomas Kretschmann as Le Clerq, the main villain, and Zachary Quinto as CIA agent Smith, 47's closest ally and friend. It is directed by Aleksander Bach, marking his first feature length motion picture, having previously worked on commercials, and written by Skip Woods (who also wrote the first film), Michael Finch and Kyle Ward. It's set to be released on 27th of February 2015.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
A film adaptation regarding to that of Sam Rolfe's television series of the same name has been in talks for at least four decades, which starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum in the leading roles, back in the 1960s. Apparently, the search for the outcome has finally come to an end when Guy Ritchie stepped in to write and direct the film, along with his lifelong friend Lionel Wigram, who produced it, as well. Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the story centers on two UNCLE agents, Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin, who team up on a joint mission to stop a notorious terrorist organization (presumably THRUSH), which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, as they must race in time to prevent a world-wide catastrophe from taking place. Starring Henry Cavill as Solo, and Armie Hammer as Ilya, the film tends to introduce the franchise to a newer audience, yet keeping the older fanatics satisfied. It also stars Hugh Grant, in a role that is reinvented for this film, Alexander Waverly, the head of UNCLE, along with Elizabeth Debicki and Alicia Vikander as the leading ladies, accompanied with Simona Caparrini playing a Contessa, with Jared Harris and Luca Calvani playing the villains of this fun-driven thriller. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. will be released on 14th of August 2015.
Meanwhile, in the upcoming projects, a fifth Mission: Impossible film is said to be in the works, with a release date was given for a Christmas 2015 treat, but it appears it is nowhere near that time, as the project is not in production, as of yet. However, it is told that Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg will be reprising their roles from the previous installment, with shooting to take place in Vienna and London, to be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, and written by Drew Pearce and Will Staples. Later, it was revealed that Rebecca Ferguson is cast in an undisclosed role, with Alec Baldwin and Jessica Chastain being in talks for specific parts. It is most likely that the film will be released sometime in 2016 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the franchise that took off in September 1966.
Thank you for reading. Leave your comments below.
Meanwhile, in the upcoming projects, a fifth Mission: Impossible film is said to be in the works, with a release date was given for a Christmas 2015 treat, but it appears it is nowhere near that time, as the project is not in production, as of yet. However, it is told that Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg will be reprising their roles from the previous installment, with shooting to take place in Vienna and London, to be directed by Christopher McQuarrie, and written by Drew Pearce and Will Staples. Later, it was revealed that Rebecca Ferguson is cast in an undisclosed role, with Alec Baldwin and Jessica Chastain being in talks for specific parts. It is most likely that the film will be released sometime in 2016 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the franchise that took off in September 1966.
Thank you for reading. Leave your comments below.
