Actor Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) has posted a photo from the set of Hitman, revealing that production on his new movie has begun. Both Adria Arjona and the film’s director, Richard Linklater (Boyhood), are included in the shot (Andor). Powell will play the title role in a forthcoming film about a Houston police officer who doubles as a contract killer. Powell is not only the director but also a co-writer of this picture. The film is based on a 2001 piece published in Texas Monthly and follows a hitman (Arjona) as he abandons his “side” activity in order to aid a lady in her escape from a violent partner.
The film is Linklater’s follow-up to the Netflix documentary Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, released earlier this year. The 2011 crime comedy Bernie was also based on an essay by journalist Skip Hollandsworth, and now Hitman is the director’s second film based on one of Hollandsworth’s works. In May, it was revealed that Powell and Arjona will play lead roles in Hitman. Retta (Parks and Recreation), Austin Amelio (The Walking Dead), and Molly Bernard (Younger) have all recently been cast in supporting roles in the action comedy. The city of New Orleans serves as the setting for the production.
Powell has had a successful summer thanks to his appearance as Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick, which starred him alongside Tom Cruise and Miles Teller. In Everybody Wants Some! and Apollo 10 1/2, he shared the screen with Linklater. Arjona, meantime, may be seen starring opposite Diego Luna in Andor, a Disney+ and Lucasfilm production. Earlier this year, she also made an appearance in the forgettable (but nonetheless “memorable”) Morbius. This first project with Linklater, Hitman, will be her first. Not only is Linklater working on Hitman, but he’s also planning the big picture Merrily We Roll Along. Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) and Beanie Feldstein (The Wedding Singer) will lead the cast of this musical comedy adapted from the play of the same name (Booksmart).
The cameras for Merrily We Roll Along haven’t started rolling yet, but once they do, they won’t stop for another 20. With Boyhood, which was shot over a span of eleven years, Linklater attempted a similar feat. Both the filmmaker and Patricia Arquette reaped rewards from their work on Boyhood, with Arquette winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and the director being nominated for Best Director.
The Hitman release date is presently unknown.