CBS Films and Lionsgate announced today that Taylor Kitsch (Lone Survivor, True Detective) is joining Dylan O’Brien (Deepwater Horizon, The Maze Runner) and Academy Award-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman, Spotlight) in the adaptation of Vince Flynn’s massive bestseller American Assassin. Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Cuesta (Kill The Messenger, “Homeland,” “L.I.E.”) will direct the thriller from a screenplay by Stephen Schiff (“The Americans,” “Ultimate Rush”). Lorenzo di Bonaventura (Transformers, Deepwater Horizon, Red) and Nick Wechsler (The Road, Magic Mike) are producing the film.
American Assassin follows the rise of Mitch Rapp (Dylan O’Brien) a CIA black ops recruit under the instruction of Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton). The pair is then enlisted by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy to investigate a wave of apparently random attacks on both military and civilian targets. Together the three discover a pattern in the violence leading them to a joint mission with a lethal Turkish agent to stop a mysterious operative (Taylor Kitsch) intent on starting a World War in the Middle East.
Published by Atria Books and in mass market paperback by Pocket Books, both imprints of Simon & Schuster, American Assassin is one of fifteen novels set in the world of counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp. Every single one has been a New York Times bestseller, the three most recent entries have been number one New York Times bestsellers and the series has sold nearly twenty million copies to date.
“For more than a decade Vince Flynn drew praise from the intelligence community for bringing his millions of readers into an intricately constructed world that refuted many of the tired Hollywood clichés about the clandestine services,” said Cuesta. “Authentically realizing that world means bringing together an extraordinary cast and letting them portray characters that defy audience preconceptions. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor of Taylor’s talent joining Michael and Dylan and I believe that together this team will deliver the riveting realization of ‘American Assassin’ that Flynn’s fans have always wanted.”
Senior Vice President of Production Mark Ross and Vice President of Production Alex Ginno are overseeing the project for CBS Films. American Assassin will be the latest release in the partnership between CBS Films and Lionsgate. The film will be co-financed by the two companies with CBS Films handling production and marketing and Lionsgate handling distribution.
