Former action heroes appear to be experiencing something of a renaissance, and at the forefront of this fightback against the natural laws of aging has been the never knowingly intelligible,
Sylvester Stallone. Slys Indian summer looks set to continue with the news that he
has been selected as the lead in new IM Global project,
Headshot. The film will be a self-described fast paced action thriller in which Stallone plays a New Orleans hitman compelled to team up with a young NYPD cop by a murder investigation that takes them all the way to the corridors of power in Washington DC. Stallone began his long road to recovery as an action A-Lister with the surprisingly affecting return of Rocky Balboa before, subsequently, enjoying box office success with another- deeply dispiriting- sequel to his Rambo franchise and then vast improbable audiences with the unapologetically testosterone fuelled romp in The Expendables. Now, on the basis of Headshots premise, the expectation may be for a rather vacuous thriller; additionally IM Globals chairman Stuart Ford commenting:
"Headshot is exactly the type of fast-paced, universally themed project that suits our business model. Sylvester Stallone is an international icon and we're really excited to be in business with him."
The film is to be directed by
Wayne Kramer (The Cooler)- a director with a reputation for delivering thoughtful if unspectacular dramas and thrillers- and written by
Alessandro Camon, who possesses an Academy award nomination for his script for The Messenger as well as a philosophy degree, suggesting the narrative may not be so prosaic as one may fear. No further details or speculation have been released regarding other onscreen talent, though it is expected that Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Kevin King Templeton will all contribute to the films production. Filming begins in May in Louisiana and New York. As of yet, there is no estimated release date.