Action director,Patrick Hughes, known most recently for his hit making action-comedy franchise,The Hitman’s Bodyguard, is slated to begin a new project at Lionsgate,Varietyreports.
Hughes’ new project, which he will both write and direct, is titledWar Machineand will be a part action, part sci-fi film following the lives of a group of final recruits working their way through an exhaustingly debilitating special ops boot camp. The new recruits will get more than they bargained for when they are forced to reckon with a villainous presence from beyond the perimeters of Earth.
The announcement comes from Lionsgate president of production,Erin Westerman, who said,
“Patrick is simply one of the best action directors working today, but what sets his movies apart is his focus on characters that cut through the mayhem. He came to us with a tremendous original idea and we’re thrilled to be shepherding it with Patrick in the driver’s seat.”
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War Machinewon’t be the first shared project between Lionsgate and Hughes, as the company and director teamed up before in 2017 and 2021 to bring usThe Hitman’s Bodyguardand its sequel,The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguardrespectively.
Both movies have seen major success grossing almost $250 million globally with both debuting at number one with the sequel still performing despite the challenges brought up by the global pandemic. The star-studded cast for the action-comedy films drew the likes ofRyan Reynolds,Samuel L. Jackson, andSalma Hayek.
The first film tells the story of an unlikely friendship struck up by a world class protection agent (Reynolds) who is forced to protect the life of his arch-nemesis, one of the world’s most notable hitmen (Jackson), as they evade the hitman’s hunters during an action packed 24 hours. The sequel brings back the bodyguard and hitman, but this time also tosses the hitman’s wife (Hayek) into the mix for more high action comedy centered around ending a madman’s reign of terror.
Hughes, whose previous credits also includeThe Expendables 3, is staying busy. He is currently working onThe Man From Toronto, a comedy adventure film about a mix up between a notorious hitman and a regular screw-up from New York. Set to come out in August 2022, the film will starKevin HartandWoody Harrelson.
Although from the blurb above it sounds likeWar Machinemay be a little bit more serious than we have previously seen with Hughes, we can only hope that the writer and director will add his own comedic flair to what is sure to be a space action, alien zappin’, otherworldly hit.
