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2007’s Hitman is an adaptation of the beloved stealth video game and was Timothy Olyphant’s first leading movie role, but Olyphant never returned for the 2015 follow-up, Hitman: Agent 47. The 2007 movie is based on the video game series of the same name, which follows Agent 47, a cloned super-assassin. And the big appeals of the games are the stealth mechanics, the creative ways players can murder their targets, and the ridiculous disguises players can make Agent 47 wear. Unfortunately, the 2007 movie adaptation didn’t feature much of what made the game so great, and it turned the property into a basic action movie.
While the video game movie was negatively received, with a poor 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Olyphant’s assassin performance was among the few rewarding elements. He played Agent 47 with the typically socially-inept behavior seen in the video games, but unfortunately, Olyphant didn’t return for the follow-up Hitman: Agent 47. Instead, in the second Hitman movie, which arrived eight years later, Rupert Friend played the silent assassin, and it was jarringly different from the original Hitman. Hitman: Agent 47 certainly took a hit at the box office, and that could have been partially due to Olyphant’s absence, but there’s a reason why he was replaced.
Timothy Olyphant Isn’t In Hitman: Agent 47 Because It’s A Reboot, Not A Sequel
Hitman was technically a financial success, as it had a budget of $24 million and made $101 million (via Box Office Mojo). But given that the movie had such a terrible reception from critics and fans, the studio clearly had to reconsider the franchise’s future. However, the reboot essentially seems like a result of Olyphant’s reluctance to return to the series. The actor noted that he was not interested in returning to the series and didn’t even want to be part of the first movie. Olyphant revealed that he only took the role out of fear of losing his house when Deadwood was suddenly canceled.
Olyphant hated making Hitman, and following the cancelation, he recalled a conversation with his agent, noting, “They’re like, ‘Do you want to read the script?’ I said, ‘I get it. I’m in. I just bought a house. Did you not hear? They just canceled my f***ing show. Yes, I’ll do it.'” However, the film still makes the same mistakes as its predecessor. The reboot doesn’t take advantage of the franchise’s creative deaths or its subtle comedy with Agent 47’s disguises. And it turns out that it was for the best that Olyphant didn’t return for the sequel when it comes to his career.
Why Hitman Was Rebooted 8 Years After The Original Movie
Hitman: Agent 47 followed Hitman by eight years, essentially resulting from canceled sequels and failed casts. Two years after Hitman’s release, Hitman 2 was announced with Kyle Ward penning the script (via Aint It Cool News), but Olyphant’s not being interested in returning quickly ended given the lack of fanfare and Olyphant’s hesitance that led to some major changes. A reboot was developed with Paul Walker originally hired to replace Olyphant, but that resulted in more delays when Walker, unfortunately, passed away. And it ultimately resulted in a box office underperformance and the franchise being shelved indefinitely, at least until the next Hitman reboot.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Aint It Cool News
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