Martin Campbell has been absent from the espionage genre for too long, it seems. Having reinvigorated the Bond franchise on two separate occasions with Goldeneye and the Daniel Craig-led Casino Royale in 1995 and 2006, respectively, Campbell is all too familiar with that particular style of filmmaking. And according to a report by The Wrap, the director may venture into the genre once more for Hunter Killer.
Since 2011, Relativity’s project has changed hands multiple times, with Phillip Noyce, Antoine Fuqua and Into the Storm’s Steven Quale all attached to the film at one point. However, sources tell us that Campbell’s deal is all but confirmed, which would put him in the driving seat with Ryan Kavanaugh, Toby Jaffe and 21 Jump Street’s Neal Moritz all on board to produce.
Set in the not-so-distant future, Hunter Killer channels the paranoia of the Cold War and the unrelenting tension between the USSR and the United States. Following a seemingly innocuous accident that involves a Russian submarine sinking deep beneath the polar ice cap, the finger of blame is pointed at the Americans who just so happened to have a nuclear sub in the vicinity.
Led by the young Captain Joe Glass, the US sends out the USS Toledo to the site to provide aid, only to discover that what happened in the murky depths was no accident.
Should Campbell put pen to paper to direct, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the intriguing subject matter — in fact, Hunter Killer seems to echo The Hunt For Red October in more ways than one. Let’s just hope Sean Connery’s Russian accent remains locked up in a sealed air-tight container where it belongs.
At this stage, there is no casting details for Hunter Killer, but we’ll be sure to keep you up to date with the project as more information appears.
