Dave Bautista to Star in Lionsgate Action Comedy ‘The Killer’s Game’
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Lionsgate announced on Monday that it has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to “The Killer’s Game,” an action comedy starring Dave Bautista and directed by JJ Perry.
Based on Jay Bonansinga’s novel of the same name, “The Killer’s Game” will see Bautista play Joe Flood, an assassin recently diagnosed with a terminal and painful illness who, determined to not suffer a slow, painful death, orders a hit on himself…only to find out that he was misdiagnosed and is healthy. Mad Chance’s Andrew Lazar and Endurance Media’s Steve Richards will produce, with Endurance Media financing.
The film is written by Rand Ravich and “X-Men” franchise screenwriter Simon Kinberg, with recent rewrites by James Coyne. Lionsgate will launch sales of the film at the Cannes Film Festival this month ahead of the start of production this summer.
“We are so thrilled to be making ‘The Killer’s Game’ with Lionsgate and Endurance,” says producer Andrew Lazar. “We have searched far and wide and we finally found the perfect Joe Flood in Dave Bautista, who balances compelling action and incredible comic timing better than anyone else. And with JJ Perry at the helm, we know this film will deliver the kind of wholly original and unique action that global audiences crave.”
“Lionsgate is the perfect home for this project,” added Richards. “They have consistently proven their ability to connect action audiences with the best films in the genre. We are believers that The Killer’s Game is the perfect mix of action and comedy, and right now, there’s no one better at threading that needle than Dave Bautista. We can’t wait to get started.”
“Andrew and Steve brought us a package we couldn’t refuse,” said Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We foresee strong interest from the marketplace, and we’re confident that its mix of bold action, star power, and fun writing will thrill audiences everywhere.”
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Bautista and Jonathan Meisner will serve as executive producers for Dogbone Entertainment. Jake Katofsky and Vanessa Humphrey will co-produce. Also producing is Kia Jam. Scott Lambert serves as executive producer. The deals were negotiated by John Biondo and Christopher Davis on behalf of the studio.
Bautista can be seen in theaters in his final performance as Drax in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and will appear in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” this November. Perry, a veteran stunt coordinator and longtime collaborator with “John Wick” director Chad Stahelski, made his directorial debut on the Netflix film “Day Shift” starring Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg.
Bautista is represented by CAA, Meisner Entertainment Group and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner & Klein. Perry is represented by represented by WME, manager Holly Jeter, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
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