The Hitman’s Bodyguard 2, titledThe Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, has lined up its first new cast member. Frank Grillo, known for his roles as Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones inCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandCivil War, has signed on to star alongside returning cast members Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek. The sequel is expected to get underway soon, which means we should be hearing word of additional cast members signing on in the very near future.
According to a new report,Frank Grillohas closed a deal to star in the sequel and will see him as an ally to the returning characters. The Hitman’s Bodyguard 2 is said to follow Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds), who is enlisted by his former enemy Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) and his wife Sonia (Salma Hayek) to join them on a mission on the Amalfi Coast. Grillo is will play an Interpol agent who needs their help in order to prevent a cyber attack in Europe. With that, it seems we still need a villain to be cast. Oscar-winner Gary Oldman starred as the primary antagonist in the first movie.
This marks one more project in what is already shaping up to be a huge year for Frank Grillo. He already starred in the bare-knuckle boxing dramaDonnybrook, which was released last month and also hasBoss Level, which co-stars Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts, on deck, as well as the Blumhouse Productions releaseOnce Upon a Time in Staten Island. Grillo will also star alongside his fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe cast member Anthony Mackie in Netflix’sPoint Blanklater this year. To top it all off, the actor is expected to once again appear asCrossbonesin the upcomingAvengers: Endgame.
Lionsgate was quick to get a sequel going. The Hitman’s Bodyguard was released in fall 2017 and proved to be a reasonably big hit. Despite a somewhat middling response from critics, the action/comedy went on to gross $176 million at the global box office. Working against a reported budget of just $30 million, that represents a nice return for the studio.News of the sequelfirst broke during the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018 with posters featured at the event that came with the tagline “The Good. The Bad. And the Bats*** cray.”
Ryan Reynolds recently finished filming Michael Bay’s6 UndergroundforNetflix. Samuel L. Jackson, meanwhile, will be seen once again as Nick Fury inCaptain Marvelthis weekend. Salma Hayek has the indieThe Hummingbird Projecton the way. Lionsgate has kept the same team in place behind the camera as well for the sequel. Patrick Hughes is once again going to be in the director’s chair, working from a script by Tom O’Connor, who penned the original. Filming is expected to get underway this Month.The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguarddoes not yet have a release date set. This news was first reported byVariety.
