Guardians Of The Galaxy Director Wanted To Make R-Rated Hitman Movie

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has revealed that he was at one point interested in making a Hitman movie. Writing on Twitter today, Gunn said he wanted it to be rated R, but the producers wanted a lesser rating, presumably so it could reach a wider audience.

"I tried to make a Hitman movie a few years ago," he said. "But the producers at the time didn't want to make it R-rated, so they passed."

Gunn did not share any more details about the Hitman project he had ideas for.

Both Hitman films, 2007's Hitman and 2015's Hitman: Agent 47, were rated R. Neither was very well-received, with Agent 47 going down as one of the worst-reviewed video game movies in history. Neither passed $100 million at the global box office, either.

Timothy Olyphant played Agent 47 in 2007's Hitman, a job he says he only took so he could pay for a house. Homeland star Rupert Friend played the part in the newer film; he signed on after the original actor, Paul Walker, died in a car crash.

Gunn's next movie is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which comes out this May.