'Agent 47' is back on aboard!

We all know that motion pictures based on video game franchises often result in utter failure, take the most popular First-Person Shooter title Doom, for instance, which spawned a very awful film adaptation that never made sense in the first place, or Max Payne, being extremely godawful, recruiting an emotionally unstable character instead of a arse-kicking hard-boiled detective out to settle the score. Among those awful adaptations was the 2007 film Hitman, based on the video game franchise of the same name, which did bear only a very little resemblance, but with accurate places at some points.

It starred Timothy Oliphant, the star of Deadwood and Justified television series, as the main protagonist, the nameless Agent 47. Fans have known and wanted the man who made the role iconic, David Bateson, whom the character was based on, as well, to appear in character, headlining the title. But, sadly, it did not happen, and he went to do another film in closer manner and truer to the Hitman concept called Aurum, where he plays Mark Boland, a character who's Agent 47 in all but the name. The games were known to be incredibly stealthy and slow-paced, with the option of going out of cover and pulling the trigger aggressively yet calmly. On the other hand, the film contained sequences shot in slow-motion aspect, going with the over-the-top action material inspired by the Matrix elements.

A comparison between Timothy Oliphant's Agent 47 and the video game version based upon David Bateson.

Despite its mixed-to-negative reviews but being a success financially, a sequel was planned with IESB confirming that 20th Century Fox has hired writer Kyle Ward to pen the script. It was reported that the late American actor, David Hess, who died in October 2011, was picked for a yet-unnamed role. Daniel Benmayor was said to be directing the sequel, with Timothy Oliphant still in talks to reprise his own role. However, Oliphant would later state that he had no interest in returning, and only did the first one to pay the bills for his new house following the cancellation of Deadwood, the television series that aired for only two years. Afterwards, the project was fallen apart in 2012.

A promotional image from the latest release in the video game series, 'Hitman: Absolution'.

In February 2013, it was reported that the next entry in this film franchise will have a brand new storyline ignoring the first film and its timeline. A total reboot they might say, but it never was a long-lasting series to call it a 'reboot', nor a 'remake' because it had nothing to do with the plot written for the latter. And now, the title was renamed to Agent 47, which is the name of the protagonist. It was also reported that the late Paul Walker would star as the titular character, with plans to start shooting the film were arranged in Summer 2013, but had to be postponed due to Walker being on other commitments such as Fast & Furious 7, which he didn't complete filming due to his chaotic and accidental demise.

The late Paul Walker.

Earlier this year, in January, it was announced that Rupert Friend will take over the role of Agent 47, with commercials director Aleksander Bach making his feature film debut helming the project. The screenplay was written by Skip Woods (A Good Day To Die Hard) and Michael Finch (November Man). More recently, two people were cast, with Zachary Quinto being in a yet-unknown role, and Hannah Ware is said to be playing the leading lady. It's rumoured that the locations were scouted in Berlin and Singapore, but the plot details are not revealed, as of yet. Let's see what are they going to do with Hitman this time. Will they change 47's background like they did in the first film? or will they adapt a truer thriller based on the video game series?

Rupert Friend is cast as Agent 47, and Hannah Ware will be playing the leading lady.

'Hitman: Absolution' artwork featuring the dreadful Agent 47.

Are you excited? Express yourself below, and thanks for reading.