Mentioned as possibilities earlier this month, it looks like the deals went through. McG ("Terminator Salvation") will direct the Luc Besson-produced and co-written thriller previously known as "Three Days To Kill." Now untitled, according to Relativity Media, as suggested, Kevin Costner will star as a dying assassin who wants to reconcile with his daughter while embarking on his final mission.
Called a "gripping action tale," the script was co-written with Adi Hasak ("From Paris With Love"). Here's the long-form synopsis which adds a few new wrinkles:
The thriller explores a story about Secret Service Agent Ethan Runner who discovers he's dying and decides to retire in order to reconnect with his estranged family. But when the Secret Service offers him access to an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment, he soon finds himself trying to juggle his family, his mission, and the drug's hallucinatory side-effects.
The deal marks the second of two films that EuropaCorp and Relativity will collaborate on as a part of a co-production and co-financing deal that was announced in May. That second picture is the darkly comedic action film "Malavita" directed by Besson and starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron ("Glee," "I Am Number Four") and John D’Leo ("The Wrestler," "Wanderlust").
If I have to read one more synopsis regarding a retiring killer/cop/spy/whatever doing one last job in exchange for something, I have to throw up.
Despite the fact that I will be happy to see Costner back on the big screen, I hope the director changes and the script (From Paris with love was crap) will be rewritten by a real writer before they start filming…
"I'm a director, quote unquote." – McG