And who says TV is a step down? If anyone's living proof of the contrary, it's Timothy Olyphant, who since starring in HBO's better-than-most-movies series Deadwood, has become a very busy boy indeed as far as his movie slate is concerned. The latest addition to his C.V. is the lead in Luc Besson's adaptation of Hitman. Add that to his baddie in Die Hard 4 and his romantic lead in Catch And Release, and he's shaping up to be one of 2007's more in-demand actors.
Fans will already know that the script is based on a highly popular series of computer games, following the adventures of Agent 47, an anonymous, cloned gun-for-hire, recognisable by his shaved head, complete with bar-code tattooed on the back of it.
Now it's true that Vin Diesel was linked to Hitman, but he gave up the chance to play Agent 47, a genetically engineered assassin, to star in Matthieu Kassovitz's sci-fi actioner Babylon A.D., and his loss becomes Olyphant's gain.
Sadly we can't confirm that Besson will direct the film (he's only inked in as producer right now, but a sister-in-spirit to Leon wouldn't be a bad thing from where we're standing). In fact, there's been no director announced yet - a worrying sign, given that shooting - both in front and behind the camera, thangyouverymuch - is set to start in March.
This doesn't appear to phase 20th Century Fox at all, as they are rumoured to be sinking a considerable budget into what they perceive as a franchise. Expect sequels: Olyphant's deal allows for them.