Grab your silencers, garrote wire, and wackiest disguise, because Fox 21 and Hulu are joining forces to create a television series based on the IO Interactive video game property HITMAN. Contracted to write the pilot episode for the forthcoming series is JOHN WICK creator Derek Kolstad, who penned the original Keanu Reeves-starring action roller coaster ride as well as the third installment of the series which is due to arrive in 2019. In addition to his writing duties for the pilot, Kolstad will also serve as the program's executive producer alongside Adram Askarieh and Chuck Gordon.
The popular Hitman video game series has sold over 25 million copies since its 2000 launch, with installments reaching across multiple platforms including consoles, mobile, and PC. The series centers around Agent 47, a festidious assassin of the highest caliber who's skills are unmatched in the art of killing. In the past, Agent 47 has been represented in two feature-length films released by Fox, including HITMAN (2007) and HITMAN: Agent 47 (2015). Timothy Olyphant was the first to suit up as the bald, bar code-tattooed killer, while Rupert Friend assumed the role for the sequel. Both films received lukewarm reactions from fans, though it would appear that Fox is still plenty interested in growing the property with the aid of this new series.
I'll never forget my first kill while playing Hitman: Absolution on the Playstation 3. As I was scaling a building, I heard a random NPC receive a phone call from his doctor. While waiting outside the man's window, I could hear him reacting to the news that his test results for testicular cancer had come back negative. The man, overjoyed by the news, thanked the doctor and then immediately went to call his wife to tell her the glorious news. That's when I reached up through his hotel room window, grabbed his collar, and pitched him out the window. I've been a big fan of the Hitman games ever since.
No release date or casting information for the planned HITMAN series has been released at this time, though you can look forward to seeing JOHN WICK 3 when it hits theaters come 2019.