The 2007 film adaptation of the “Hitman” video game franchise is … not good. It received a score of 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics panning its incoherent plot and terrible dialogue. So, why did actor Timothy Olyphant take on the lead role as Agent 47? He had a mortgage to pay, he told Rollingstone in a recent interview.
Olyphant had just bought a new house when he found out his Western television show “Deadwood” was cancelled, according to the interview. But, instead of immediately putting it on the market, he decided to be a “glass-half-full type of motherfucker.”
“What we have to thank for this is the villain in [“Live Free or] Die Hard” and a fucking bald head in Bulgaria shooting “Hitman,” he told Rollingstone. “That’s what that phone call led to. ‘How about the villain of “Die Hard?”‘ I said, ‘Sure.’ And they’re like, ‘Do you want to read the script?’ I said, ‘I get it. I’m in. I just bought a house. Did you not hear? They just canceled my fucking show. Yes, I’ll do it.’ ‘What about this video game adaptation?’ ‘Yes to that too. I’m in. I’ve got to make up some TV money.’
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Although “Hitman” turned out to be a bomb, Olyphant said filming it was a valuable experience. “Find yourself bald in Bulgaria doing some pile of shit, that will get you up a little earlier in the morning and make you work a little harder,” he said.
Hollywood released another “Hitman” adaptation in 2015 starring Rupert Friend as Agent 47. It scored 9% on Rotten Tomatoes.