Apparently people the world over were entranced by the piercing stare and profound baldness of Timothy Olyphant's Agent 47 and his slutty Russian friend. IESB.net reports that the first Hitman movie grossed roughly 100 million dollars worldwide, a number that makes the stomach churn, though it also helps make sense of news that the producers of the original film are moving ahead with a sequel. Though no casting decisions have been revealed yet, they've signed hot young Hollywood screenwriter Kyle Ward to pen the script.
I'm not sure why Ward is considered such a hot commodity, considering his two meaningful credits are for another movie about a hitman that's being produced by Michael Bay's production company, and Kane & Lynch , both of which are still far from release. But hey, considering those credits, I guess Hitman is right in his wheelhouse, right? I can't say I'm thrilled about this news, though as I race towards the bottom of the barrel of video-game movies for TANG, I suppose there are far worse things than another Hitman movie. In potentially more positive news, IESB is also reporting that a fifth Hitman game is on its way with a release target of late 2010, and the promise that it "will take Agent 47 in a whole new direction." Until then, enjoy this Olyphant stare-off.