Agent 47, protagonist of the Hitman series of video games, is going to initially look quite different in the upcoming Hulu series based on the stealth video game franchise.
John Wick creator Derek Kolstad, who is writing the pilot for the Hitman series, told Collider that Agent 47 will have one particular physical attribute in the series that will separate him from his gaming analog: a head of hair. Traditionally, Agent 47 has always been bald in the video games, as well as the two critically panned Hitman films — unless he is disguised with a wig. However, Kolstad assured fans that the change in appearance is important to Agent 47's journey in the show. "You're introduced to a guy who's very much the hitman we know from the games, but he's got a full head of hair, and he's independent. He has a handler, he's got a life, he's very much that early '80s, late '70s assassin we read about in the books, right?"he explained. "But at a certain point, he gets a gig, and that gig unveils the reality that no choice he's ever made has been his own. And of course, the show ends with him at a mirror, finding hidden under his skin, the barcode. So suddenly it becomes a mystery of 'who am I, really?'"
Kolstad went further into the character's depth and how his script evolves Agent 47 past an emotionless killer. "To your point, we get into the head of the character. In the games, there's not much of a character there. But who is this guy really, and why do you root for him? And so we got to give a moral compass," he continued. "So your main character is a hitman. Why do I give a shit? And so we have to come in and hard-sell [that] it's a Western, man. Who do you root for? You root for the gray hat. He's the ultimate gray hat."
The Hitman series was announced back in 2017 but has yet to begin production. While one reason for the delay may be the lack of a showrunner, Kolstad explained that he wants to stick to screenwriting. "Well, here's the thing... I've got a lot going on, because I love to write," he told Collider. "And I know a showrunner is what a writer should really want to be, because you get all the money and all the power, if you want to take it. But the reality is, I want to just write." Kolstad continued by explaining the dedication it takes to be a showrunner and finished by saying that "I'm blessed alone in a cave [where I can] type."
Hulu's Hitman show will be adapted from IO Interactive's Hitman video games, which recently wrapped up its World of Assassination trilogy with Hitman 3. The final title in the trilogy received positive reviews from critics and will continue to add new content through updates. Currently, players can hunt The Stowaway, a new elusive target, through Mar. 29, 2021.
Produced by Kolstad, Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon, Hulu's Hitman does not yet have a release date.
Source: Collider