Fox’s sequel/reboot/both of the above/none of the above Hitman: Agent 47 hits theaters in late August, so it’s just about time for that hype-train to leave the station and start picking up steam – so fresh off the reveal of the first trailer a couple months ago comes the latest one-sheet for the video game adaptation. The poster shows the titular character – played by Homeland‘s Rupert Friend – standing amongst a backdrop of guns, looking taciturn. Friend steps into the baldcap in place of Timothy Olyphant, who played the titular character in the widely-panned 2007 outing.
Hitman focuses on, believe it or not, Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin carefully crafted to be the perfect killing machine. He’s the latest in a long line of clones and is identified by the last two digits on the barcode tattooed on the back of his neck (“47,” clearly). Agent 47 sees the titular character teaming up with a young woman who holds secrets about his many clandestine enemies, which will lead to revelations about 47’s origins and a conflict with a deadly foe.
Hitman is one of gaming’s biggest – well, middling triple-A – franchises, so it’s hardly surprising to see another sequel (?) pushed out. It remains to be seen if Agent 47 is actually, you know, any good, though a lot of this early material looks promising. That said, while other realms of geekery are in the midst of something of an adaptation renaissance, video games have had trouble breaking out of their native medium, despite many, many attempts. It remains to be seen if this will be the film that changes the tide.
