Almost one year ago it was reported that Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker would be playing Agent 47 in a new attempt at turning the hit video game series Hitman into a movie. Timothy Olyphant had previously tried his hand at the role, in a movie that ultimately underwhelmed.

Fans of the game were not very excited by the news that Walker was taking on the character next, but no one would have guessed at the time that less than a year later Walker would be gone. Now comes word that Fox has found their replacement for the late actor in the movie, which is titled Agent 47. According to reports, Rupert Friend has entered into negotiations for the role of the well-dressed assassin.

Friend is best known for his role as Peter Quinn on the hit Showtime series Homeland, which nabbed him a primetime Emmy nomination. Other notable titles on his resume include The Libertine, Pride & Prejudice, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and The Young Victoria.

As far as castings go, I think fans will be a little more open to this choice. Friend is only 32, which still feels a bit young, but if you picture him without hair and in 47’s suit there’s an eerie similarity. Also, the video game’s voice actor, David Bateson, is from South Africa and has a bit of an accent, which helped Olyphant and Walker feel like poor choices. Friend is British, so look and sound could be much more accurate in this new movie.

Agent 47 is being helmed by commercial director Aleksander Bach, and is written by Kyle Ward, Skip Woods, and Michael Finch.

What do you think of Rupert Friend as the new Agent 47?

[Source: The Wrap]