‘Gattaca’ & ‘Lord Of War’ Team Andrew Niccol & Ethan Hawke Strap In For Drone Thriller

Is it safe to say that this has been a pretty good year for Ethan Hawke? First, “Before Midnight” comes out to rave reviews across the board, then “The Purge” winds up being a surprise box office hit over the summer, and in “Getaway”… Okay, let’s just pretend that one never happened. Point is, “Before Midnight” and “The Purge” were each successful in their own right and the directors of both films were each filmmakers Ethan Hawke had collaborated with before. So, naturally, Hawke’s next move would be to work with another former collaborator, right?

Luckily, writer/director Andrew Niccol, who’s worked with Hawke on two films in the past, has just the project for him. Hawke has signed on to star in Niccol’s upcoming untitled project, where he’ll play a Las Vegas-based drone pilot. By day, he fights the Taliban via remote control, by night; he’s at home with his family, having fights with the wife. In the midst of all this, Hawke’s character begins wondering if his mission is actually creating more terrorists than its killing.

Niccol and Hawke previously worked together on “Gattaca” and “Lord of War,” both of which are generally considered to be Niccol’s best films. Hopefully, a third collaboration can bring similar success. The project begins shooting in February. [Deadline]