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Last February, it was revealed that Paul Walker had signed up to play Agent 47 in 20th Century Fox’s reboot of Hitman (which starred Justified’s Timothy Olyphant in the title role and grossed over 0 million worldwide back in 2007). Based on the hit video game franchise from Square Enix, this take on the bald assassin was set to be shot in Berlin and Singapore.

At the time of of Walker’s tragic death last year, there was little to no mention of Agent 47 as the media mainly focused on what would happen to Fast & Furious 7, a movie which he was in the middle of shooting. However, the studio are clearly still keen on putting the project into development as The Wrap reports that Homeland’s Rupert Friend (who plays Peter Quinn in the critically acclaimed Showtime series) is now nearing a deal to take on the role of Agent 47. Some outlets claim that the deal is in fact already closed.

Friend’s other big screen credits include Pride and Prejudice and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, so this will see him take on his first role in a big budget blockbuster. Of course, he’s no stranger to action thanks to his role in the Showtime drama and should have little trouble convincingly portraying the tough as nails anti-hero who’s best known for his ruthless killing methods and the barcode tattoo on the back of his head.

Commercials director Aleksander Bach will still make his feature helming debut with the project from a screenplay written by A Good Day To Die Hard’s Skip Woods and Mike Finch as well as Machete Kills’ Kyle Ward.