Extending his working relationship with Fundamental Films, the Chinese production company spearheading Luc Besson’s space odyssey Valerian, Ethan Hawke has inked a deal to headline new thriller 24 Hours to Live.
That’s according to Deadline, after the outlet revealed that news first came to light on the eve of Berlin Film Festival, where Sierra/Affinity intends to handle international sales. Fundamental, on the other hand, are partnering with Thunder Road Pictures to finance and produce the motion picture, appointing second unit director Brian Smrz at the helm in the process.
Zachary Dean is penning the script, working from a treatment first pitched by Ron Mita and Jim McClain. A redemption story at its core, 24 Hours to Live will orbit around an expert assassin (Hawke, we assume) who is literally given a second chance at life after his employer resuscitates him. Living up to the evocative title, Smrz’s thriller – marking the creator’s directorial debut – has all the makings for a terse and effective genre title, providing the screenplay takes shape to extract the best out of Hawke.
Because when you consider that Smrz has acted as second unit all across X-Men: Days of Future Past, Iron Man 3, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Live Free or Die Hard and, more recently, X-Men: Apocalypse, it’s clear the filmmaker is no stranger to action storytelling. Can 24 Hours to Live channel that intensity? Time well tell.
Ethan Hawke can currently be seen opposite Emma Watson in psychological thriller Regression, which is in theaters from today across North America.
