After a setback last year when Universal decided to throw the project into turnaround limbo, Vince Vaughn’s comic book adaptation Term Life was resurrected thanks to producer Kevin Frakes’ PalmStar Media Capital, and appears to be on track with Universal once more set to distribute. The film also now boasts a villain, with Riddick’s Jordi Molla aboard.
Regular Vaughn collaborator and (whisper it) **Couples Retreat **director Peter Billingsley is still set to call the shots, working from a script by Andy Lieberman, who adapts his own comic book, originally created with Nick Thornborrow.
The plot follows Nick Barrow (Vaughn), who plans heists and comes up with tricks for career criminals. Unfortunately for him, he’s managed to annoy just about everyone, especially when one of the most recent crimes he helped plan goes bad. With mob bosses, corrupt cops and hit men on his trail, Nick decides he wants to finally do something good and takes out a big life insurance policy out on himself, payable to his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld). There’s just one small hitch: it takes 21 days to take effect, and he’ll be lucky to live 21 hours…
Molla will be the ruthless leader of a Mexican drug cartel who has sworn bloody revenge on Nick for the death of his son (William Levy). He joins a cast that also includes Bill Paxton and Mike Epps. With luck, Billingsley should be cranking the cameras soon.
As for Molla, he’ll be seen in Ron Howard’s Heart Of The Sea and indie movies Thursday, I Brake For Gringos and Geography Of The Heart. He’s also just worked on detective drama Hoke for US TV channel FX alongside Paul Giamatti.