Eric Bana Joins Joe Wright’s Teenage Assassin Film ‘Hanna,’ Starring Saoirse Ronan

Good casting. You know when you read a script and can picture an actor perfectly in a role? Well, Eric Bana didn’t exactly come to mind when we read the script attributed to Seth Lochhead (though David Farr apparently was one of the writers as well) for “Hanna” — the Joe Wright thriller starring Saoirse Ronan, about a teenage girl raised as a lethal killing machine her entire life by her ex-CIA operative father — but hell, now that you mention it? He’s perfect.

A type of young “La Femme Nikita” meets (wait for it) “Bourne” franchise story, Lochhead’s script was an imperfect tale with zero lead-up and context, but it’s a hellofa fun read, one of the easiest we’ve zipped through in a long time (god, a long script slog is the worst). And with Farr on board, presumably (hopefully) they’ve given this thing an intelligent first act overhaul — it’s a bit of straight-forward chase/on-the-run picture, but again, very entertaining, engrossing and captivating once the ride starts.

Anyhow, there’s basically three key players in the film and according to Variety, Bana has been cast in the role of the father, an ex-CIA operative who’s defected and been on the run for what feels like a decade (or even longer). He’s essentially raised his daughter in the woods on his own and she knows nothing about life, culture, or the world outside of what he’s taught her and much of that centers on training to be a elite and focused assassin. The set-up sounds a little bit unbelievable, but whatever, it works. And yes, some of our readers scoff at projects like this, like they do Soderbergh’s “Knockout” (which in a way also sounds semi-similar), but the major difference between that, “Hanna,” and run of the mill spy chase thrillers is the talent involved.

Another reason why this film is exciting? Director Joe Wright. Yes, he’s known for carefully observed, emotional dramas like, “Atonement” and “Pride & Prejudice,” but we love it when someone as obviously talented as he is switches gears and tries something very different. Plus — “Quantum of Solace” aside — action should be easy (leave it to your stunt coordinators and second unit teams), and a good director should bring, heart, soul and intelligence to these pictures and (hopefully) elevate them to become something special. We’ve said it ad nauseum. The ‘Bourne’ pictures are different than most thriller-action films, because you actually care about the characters. We digress, but we’re obviously hopeful that that’s what happens here. Also, its Focus Features handling this picture, not the big studio heads — that should tell you something as well, if it’s not already drastically evident.

Either way, Bana is an excellent addition to this cast. There’s also two more key roles. Maria, the central female antagonist, an agent chasing down Hanna and another operative called simply, “The American” who is on her team, but seemingly angling with his own agenda. We’re curious to know if they’ll have names in these relatively small, but still crucial roles (we can kind of picture Playlist wife-to-be Rebecca Hall, in her first total, kick-ass bitch role).

We put “Hanna” in our Most Anticipated Films of 2010 feature, but only in a wishful thinking section. There’s no word when the picture will shoot yet, but it surely won’t be released until 2011.