Dylan O’Brien Is The ‘American Assassin’ In Red Band Trailer For Thriller With Michael Keaton & Taylor Kitsch

The journey of Vince Flynn‘s novel “American Assassin” to the big screen has been an interesting one. Over the years, directors like Antoine Fuqua, Ed Zwick, and Jeffrey Nachmanoff were linked to the adaptation, while Chris Hemsworth and Bruce Willis were also mentioned for roles. But it took rising star Dylan O’Brien (“The Maze Runner“) and director Michael Cuesta (“Kill The Messenger“) to get the movie in front of cameras.

Co-starring Michael Keaton and Taylor Kitsch, the story centers on Mitch Rapp, a maverick counterterrorism agent, who gets mixed up in a mission to track down some weapons grade plutonium that’s fallen into the wrong hands, while also seeking justice for his fiancé who was killed in a terrorist attack. And for O’Brien, the role is an opportunity to dive into what motivates these kinds of agents.

“You always wonder who these people are, where they come from, how’d they get to what they’re doing,” the actor told USA Today. “A lot of the time, there is a past and a tragic trail and a traumatic experience. It’s a really cool look into human nature.”

“American Assassin” opens on September 15th.