While his sister Megan has become something of a saviour for auteurs like John Hillcoat and Paul Thomas Anderson, David Ellison is the flipside to that coin with major stakes in tentpoles like last year’s rousing success, “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol,” and his Skydance Productions is entering negotiations with “Taken” director Pierre Morel to helm “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.”
The action film, written by Tom O’Connor, “follows a protection agent who is forced to escort to the Hague a hitman awaiting his chance to testify against a war criminal and ex-head of state of an Eastern European country.” This basic premise fits firmly within Morel’s oeuvre, which thus far also includes “District B13” and "From Paris With Love," both actions set in "exotic" locations.
There’s no distribution deal in place, though we wouldn’t be surprised to see it released by Paramount given that Ellison is their golden boy at the moment with his hands (and money) in "Jack Reacher," "Star Trek 2" and next year’s troubled “World War Z.” While we normally wouldn’t care about a film like this, given Ellison’s previous taste we’re inclined to see how this all shakes out. [THR]
