Dylan O’Brien, the young star known for his roles in MTV’s Teen Wolf and The Maze Runner franchise, is in talks to star in CBS Films’ American Assassin alongside Michael Keaton.
If the negotiations are signed off on, O’Brien will play Mitch Rapp, a black ops recruit who’s lost his fiance in a terrorist attack. The script, written by Stephen Schiff, is a screen adaptation of Vince Flynn’s American Assassin novel. Michael Cuesta is set to direct the film, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler producing (Variety).
The film will begin with Rapp just after he’s lost his fiance, in mourning. Cold War veteran Stan Hurley (Keaton) is assigned to train the young recruit. Rapp learns the art of thwarting terrorist operations and taking down the perpetrators. The deceased Flynn’s character has spawned fourteen novels, which have long been thought of as action-movie franchise gold (Deadline).
Shooting for American Assassin is expected to begin in the fall, following O’Brien’s recovery from injuries he obtained while shooting Maze Runner: The Death Cure.
