Now that he’s done in the Marvel universe with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Dave Bautista is set to star in the action comedy The Killer’s Game from director JJ Perry (Day Shift) as he plays an assassin who places a hit on himself after getting a fatal medical diagnosis, but discovers it’s too late to call it off when it turns out to be a misdiagnosis.
Based on Jay Bonansinga’s novel of the same name, The Killer’s Game follows “veteran assassin Joe Flood (Bautista), who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and authorizes a kill on himself to avoid the pain that is destined to follow. After ordering the kill, he finds out that he was misdiagnosed and must then fend off the army of former colleagues trying to kill him.”
Lionsgate is developing The Killer’s Game and bringing it to the Cannes Film Festival to sell. The adaptation of Bonansinga’s novel was written by Rand Ravich and Simon Kinberg with James Coyne brought on for rewrites. It is being produced by Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar alongside Steve Richards for Endurance Media and Kia Jam with Jake Katofsky and Vanessa Humphrey serving as co-producers. Bautista and Jonathan Meisner will executive produce for Dogbone Entertainment alongside Scott Lambert.
“We are so thrilled to be making The Killer’s Game with Lionsgate and Endurance,” said Lazar. “We have searched far and wide and we finally found the perfect Joe Flood in Dave Bautista, who balances compelling action and incredible comic timing better than anyone else. And with JJ Perry at the helm, we know this film will deliver the kind of wholly original and unique action that global audiences crave.”
“Lionsgate is the perfect home for this project. They have consistently proven their ability to connect action audiences with the best films in the genre,” said Richards. “We are believers that The Killer’s Game is the perfect mix of action and comedy, and right now, there’s no one better at threading that needle than Dave Bautista. We can’t wait to get started.”
“Andrew and Steve brought us a package we couldn’t refuse,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President, Nathan Kahane. “We foresee strong interest from the marketplace, and we’re confident that its mix of bold action, star power, and fun writing will thrill audiences everywhere.”
Bautista will be seen next in Dune: Part Two, reprising his role as Beast Rabban Harkonnen in the anticipated sequel.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
