Hitman Actor Says TV Adaptation “Sort of Went Dead”

It seems like the Hitman TV show may be in development hell. Hitman is one of the most legendary gaming franchises out there thanks to its incredibly unique and compelling sandbox gameplay. It also has one of the most recognizable protagonists in gaming through Agent 47, but it’s his cold nature and dry wit that make him stand out. Although he has an interesting backstory, he’s not incredibly layered relative to some other gaming protagonists. Because of that, it has made him incredibly difficult to adapt. Still, the success of the games eventually led to two different and critically panned Hitman films with different actors playing Agent 47 both times. Despite failing at its first two attempts, Hollywood is trying to adapt Hitman for a third time via a Hulu TV series.

Sadly, it may be on pause. In a new interview with ComicBook.com, longtime Agent 47 actor David Bateson said he’s unaware of any new developments for the Hitman TV series. “I keep an eye on IMDb and things in pre-production and it sort of went dead,” said Bateson. “I don’t know if it’s a COVID thing, it could be, but sometimes productions sort of get green-lighted, and then others just go away or just get mothballed for a while. And then, someone just dusts off this script again and goes ‘We’ve got to make this film!’ And then, it becomes a no-brainer and it gets done. I think it’s quite scary sometimes how the machinations of the behind-the-scenes power plays turn out.”

In an interview in early 2021 with DanAllenGaming, Bateson had said that “there was a move ahead to get him in there” as the “M” of the show, referencing the handler of James Bond. Bateson expressed how he’s still open to that when speaking to ComicBook. “I would definitely be up for it,” he said. “To be someone working in the back office, the kind of M figure saying, ‘Okay Agent 47, careful now, it’s loaded’ or whatever. I’m open, definitely. But I haven’t heard much since it’s kind of been put as pre-production.”

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