How’s this for a big pick-up in an otherwise quiet sale season on the Fall film festival circuit? Variety reports that Netflix bought the rights to Richard Linklater‘s latest film “Hit Man” after it screened at the Venice Film Festival and TIFF to rave reviews. It’s Netflix’s second significant purchase out of TIFF, the other being Anna Kendrick‘s directorial debut “Woman Of The Hours.”
Based on a true story (but taking liberties with the source material) “Hit Man” stars Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, a part-time teacher who moonlights as a fake hitman for the local Texas police department. But when one of his hirings turns out to be a Adria Arjona‘s beautiful woman trying to escape her abusive husband, Johnson finds himself falling for her, flirting with becoming a real criminal in the process.
The film is the brainchild of Linklater and Powell, who worked together on the script. The pair previously worked together on “Everybody Wants Some!!” and the Netflix animated sci-fi drama “Apollo 10 1/2.” Linklater adapted his screenplay with Powell from Skip Holloandsworth’s infamous Texas Monthly piece, which scoped out the real-life Gary Johnson’s exploits working with the cops.
Producers on the film include Linklater, Powell, Mike Blizzard, and Michael Costigan. Executive producers include Stuart Ford, Zach Garrett, and Miguel A. Palos Jrs. for AGC, John Sloss through Cinetic Media, ShivHans Pictures’ Shivani Rawat and Julie Goldstein, Vicky Patel, Steve Barnett, and Alan Powell for Monarch Media, and Texas Monthly‘s Scott Brown and Megan Creydt.
Some critics really loved “Hit Man;” at Venice, The Playlist’s review gave it an A+, calling it tailormade for Glen Powell’s charisma. So it’s no surprise that Netflix shelled out $20 million for the picture. But that sparks some questions about the film’s theatrical release. Surely Netflix will do one, but it may not be as big if the streamer didn’t pick it up. Still, Linklater remains a buzzy name more than three decades into his career, so expect it out in theaters sometime in 2024 before its Netflix debut.
A24 has the only other interesting purchase on the Fall sales circuit: “Sing Sing” with Colman Domingo. Other than that, it’s been quiet, including no one buying Chris Pine‘s “Poolman” or Viggo Mortensen‘s “The Dead Don’t Hurt.” That speaks more to the current state of the industry during the guild strikes more than the quality of films still on the market. But with a $20 million pricetag, Netflix’s purchase of “Hit Man” should turn some heads, and get moviegoers excited to check this movie out.
