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EXCLUSIVE: CBS Films is gearing up on Consent to Kill, which is the Les Moonves film division’s first shot at building a feature franchise. The tough part: making the right choice for undercover CIA counter-terrorism agent Mitch Rapp. But CBS Films is down to 3 intriguing candidates to star in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film. I hear CBS Films has set its sights on Gerard Butler, Colin Farrell and Matthew Fox.
Consent to Kill is one of the 11 bestselling Vince Flynn novels that combine political intrigue and action and driven by a lead character who possesses the killing machine qualities and ruthlessness of Jason Bourne and Jack Bauer.
Butler is the front-runner right now, and seems ideal to play a man of action. Farrell hasn’t done a ton of action, but he impressed CBS Films CEO Amy Baer when he starred in SWAT, a project she supervised when she was a Columbia Pictures exec. The surprise is Fox, and I hear he has pursued the role aggressively as a next step after Lost finishes up. Fox hasn’t been proven as an actor who can carry a feature franchise, but neither was Bruce Willis when he jumped from Moonlighting to Die Hard. CBS Films execs have had conversations with reps of actors that include Keanu Reeves, Eric Bana and Jon Hamm, but the focus is on the trio. No offers have been made and it’s not certain that Butler or Farrell would take the role.
Though it isn’t the first novel in the espionage series, Consent to Kill is a strong way to start the series. In the Jonathan Lemkin scripted adaptation, Rapp battles a Saudi billionaire who is out for revenge (Rapp killed his terrorist son in the earlier book Memorial Day). Rapp has to contend with a German spy and a husband and wife assassin team who’ve been hired to kill him, along with bureaucrats in the government who want to do Rapp harm. All this puts Rapp’s wife and unborn child in grave danger, and when the stuff hits the fan, Rapp becomes a character reminiscent of Denzel Washington in Man On Fire. CBS Films was designed to make films up to $50 million, but this one will likely cost more. Since a summer start date is in the offing, the Rapp decision should be made shortly.
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Mitch Rapp and these Vince Flynn novels are terrific.
Gerard Butler best fits the profile of the character.
Now, all we have to hope is that Les Moonves doesn’t screw up this potentially great franchise with his ‘hands on’ approach to filmmaking.
Stay the hell out of this, Les, or Mitch Rapp will come and kick your ass!
Les Moonves is the worst kind of Hollywood blowhard, someone in power who thinks he is creative but doesn’t have a freakin’ clue. I know, this town is full of cheesemeisters, but Moonves is the worst of the lot.
Please please offer this role to Colin Farrell he is perfect 4 it. Butler is overplayed. I think the movie will do much better with Farrell as your star and as a plus he did most of his own stunts in American Outlaws, so the man is fearless,and he has grown up alot since becoming a father so you wont have to worry about the wild side coming out to destroy everything.He is perfect in every way and your film will make billions with him as your lead even if I along with the rest of his fan club have to go see the film 20x a pc or more just to put it at the top of the charts.
I couldn’t disagree more about Farrell in the role. Will Farrell would be better than Colin Farrell if the movies stay close to the book. Not thrilled with the other two either.
AMEN!!!!! I KNOW SOMEONE WHO WORKED WITH MOONVES. HE IS THE WORST. ON A MORE PLEASANT NOTE, GERARD BUTLER WOULD BE PERFECT FOR FLYNN’S CHARACTER. I LOVE THE BOOKS.
If anyone has read the books they’d agree that Farrell is too young… Fox can’t act..(I can’t believe he’s in the running) Butler is the right age and has the acting chops to pull it off..
If Clive Owen isn’t in the running I’ll cast my vote with Butler..
Gerard Butler has my vote. Colin Farrell is too short and Matthew Fox is just no.
My vote is for Matthew Fox. I think he has the right look and will work hard to play the part. I think he has the right personality as well. Good luck on the movie. There are a lot of Mitch Rapp fans out here, so don;t screw it up!
None of these guys work. Just because they show us three choices does not mean we have to accept them. I really don’t know who is out there, but please keep looking. He should be tall, dark, and handsome….a man’s man!
MVP hit the nail on the head – “None of these guys work.” Mitch Rapp is supposed to be handsome, of the three Colin Farrel is the most handsome, but as someone else said, “he is too short.” The other two are no great shakes. I agree with MVP “keep looking.”
Huh? Have you guys read the novels?? MR isn’t all that tall.. and he’s not “dark”, but repeatedly described as being olive skin toned with dark features aka Gerard Butler with some dark brown eye contacts added. Butler without a doubt is the best choice for the part out there, period. IF he get’s the part he’ll do it justice!
One name, Ryan Reynolds.
Gerard Butler definitely!
We so hope that CBS cast Gerard Butler. He deserves a hit, he needs it. I cross my fingers…
From the moment I heard Consent to Kill was going Hollywood, I immediately thought of Gerard Butler for the part of Mitch Rapp. He has the good looks and ruggedness required for the part. And, even though he has played mostly soft roles to date, he proved himself worthy of our favorite kick-a** guy when he co-starred in “Law Abiding Citizen”. He will definitely get the job done and will not disappoint Mr. Flynn’s Mitch Rapp fans. CBS … fulfill our fantasy and cast GERARD BUTLER.
I agree with Tom; why not let Vince Flynn have the major say in the actor!
The cat that plays Mitch needs to be so bad that he is a terrible enemy with whom to deal!
Forget ego and control freaks: let Vince have a MAJOR voice in this decision!
There is too much at stake here!!!!
If they mess it up, have a real Rapp-like cat kick all their backsides!
Mitch Rapp should be played by Sam Worthington
I think Hugh Jackman would do Mitch justice….
LOVE THE SERIES!!!! Our family will sit around at dinner and have this exact conversation over and over.
One popular person to fill the Role of Mitch I thought would be Cliff Curtis. Another would be Dominic Purcell.
I think both would do a great job of “pulling the cord” on the big screen.
Dominic Purcell has the look, but not sure about the acting. I really don’t think Butler should get the role. He’s too soft for this role and it has to be someone who can strike fear. I say look for a new actor that has yet to make it big. Let Vince audition the wannabees and see what he thinks.
I’ve read all but 2 of Vince flynn’s books, and without a doubt “GERARD BUTLER” fits the character to a T. I will definitely go and see any of the the movies (or series). Good luck to Gerard Butler.
Manu Bennet (Crixus in Spartacus: Blood and Sand) is who I think of when I read the novels. He is picture perfect for the role of Rapp IMO. And without the hefty price tag that Butler would bring with him. And he would likely be happy to sign a multi picture deal.
Actually the movie will be based on the last book, American Assasin which telle Mitch Rapps story from the beginning.
They have to make the right decision – Gerard Butler would be EXCEPTIONAL in this role! It would help him show Hollywood what he’s REALLY made of!
Yes, please cast Butler. He’s not in enough movies as it is — he should change his name to Gerald Hackman
CBS Films is 0-2, let’s see how this one goes. Not very exciting choices for the lead. The force feeding of Butler on our movie screens has got to stop.
You mean Gerard Hackman …. yes, please pick the Butler…
The script is terrible. It reads like an early 90′s action film and involves American Unilateralism all over the world. It’s a terrible idea and it will have a terrible execution in the hands of Fuqua. It’s going to Gross as much as any of his films have, which should mean they’ll loose money on it.
“It’s going to Gross as much as any of his films have, which should mean they’ll loose money on it”
Shooter – budget $61 million- Gross $95 million worldwide
King Arthur – Budget $120 million Gross $203 million worldwide
Tears of the Sun – Budget $75 million – Gross $86 million worldwide
Training Day – Budget $45 milliom – Gross $104 milliom worldwide
That’s not adding the DVD gross for any of these films.A hitmaker he’s not, but I doubt he would continue to get directing jobs if all his films lost money.
I won’t even get into your simplistic understanding of film budgets (have you ever heard of publicity costs, P & A, how much of the gross studios actually get?) but Tears of the Sun not only ended up costing around 200 million but there are plenty of articles that were written about how that one movie was a major factor in the demise of Revolution Pictures and a main reason why Joe Roth moved to Seattle. So don’t even go there.
Oh, we have a Hollywood insider here.Ok, since you are in the know, what was the production and advertisement cost of all those films I listed.You can also listed the DVD sales totals and the percent in which the studios gets from them.
Oh, we have a Hollywood insider here.Ok, since you are in the know, what was the production and advertisement cost of all those films I listed.You can also list the DVD sales totals of the films and the percentage in which the studios gets from there sales.
Um, dude. I won’t even bother to take on your simplistic misunderstanding of film budgeting (have you ever heard of publicity costs, print costs etc, do you understand that studios do not get 100% of the gross? etc.) BUT – Tears of the Sun not only cost around 200 mil – but it is very well documented that it was one of the main reasons that Revolution went bankrupt and Joe Roth moved to Seattle.
Seriously, just Google Tears of the Sun and Revolution. If Hollywood was a restaurant where the waiters have to make up all the checks for the night Fuqua would never get to go home again. He’d be digging out for the rest of his life.
Fuqua is a nightmare of a director. He and Les Moonves will kill each other first.
This movie sounds DOA.
Normally I would say Gerard Butler or Colin Farrell should be cast in this role.
But since the movie will fail because it is a CBS Film, cast Matthew Fox. He is a douche bag.
I think Foxy would be great in the role. As an aside, why do people feel the need to insult someone they don’t even know? What are you, 12?
you’re right!
“Farrell hasn’t done a ton of action, but he impressed CBS Films CEO Amy Baer when he starred in SWAT, a project she supervised when she was a Columbia Pictures exec.” Perfect example of how Amy doesn’t know how to run a studio. They have more executives than they do any other employee and yet they can’t develop a damn thing. I hate her.
Amy’s going to spank you when you get home.
CBS Films is the new MGM without the library nor Bond.
I’m laughing at the idea taht Matthew Fox is even being considered in the same breath with either Gerard Butler or Collin Farrell. There’s no way he can carry this movie, much less this franchise.
Of those mentioned, I can see Gerard Butler as Rapp. First and foremost, let’s hope they get a good script.
Thank you. Matthew Fox is just terrible. Awful. He’s barely passable on the small screen. Every time I see him on a screen larger than 42″ I want to throw up.
Butler for the role!!!!
I hope they give it to Matthew Fox. So much better looking and cooler than Butler or Farrell.
Gerard Butler would be great in this role.
If I see that talentless neanderthal Gerard Butler in another movie theres gonna be dead bodies everywhere.
If they could work around his tv schedule, they should consider Jeffrey Donovan.
great idea — he would be perfect for this role. he is awesome on burn notice.
Great idea! You’re right. I thought they’d go with a real Movie Star for this role, but none of these names are in that league. Since they’re even considering a TV actor, Donovan would be a MUCH better choice than Fox!
Butler!
PLEASEEEEEEEEE It has to be Colin,He’ll be great for the role….
)
well more than great- PERFECT !!!
PLEASEEEEEE Colin
Butler would rock, but give Fox a chance. Will also be easier to keep under $50 million.
I’m also available.
You need credibility to establish this character.
Colin Farrell would be preposterous as Rapp. Check him out in “Phone Booth” — whiny and weak, he can do; ruthless tough guy? Forget about it. Weak eyes, weak chin. Completely wrong.
Matthew Fox doesn’t have the right look, either. Too pretty-boy. Rapp is supposed to have a bit of American Indian in him — craggier, rougher features. You need more gravitas and toughness than he projects.
But Gerard Butler not only has the right look; he has a track record as an action-hero type. He can do ruthless and bloody and brooding. Complete credibility for this kind of role. The producers and director would be idiots if they passed him by.
It all depends on whether they are stupid enough to disappoint the Rapp fan base, which would overwhelmingly pick Butler over the others.
Or you, right Robert? What’s your look? You got enough gravitas?
Phone Booth is not the only Farrell movie out there. The character he was playing was whiny and weak and the fact you believed him to be so just proves his talent as an actor. Look at Pride and Glory not whiny or weak at all in that and Alexander (hold ur jokes please it was a great film) was a strong character and took a lot of guts to play he needs this role to expand his somthing and let everyone know he can do anything. What about Tigerland,Amercan outlaws or In Bruges,Miami vice was a terriable script but not his fault. Butler is just a pretty boy I bet in real life Colin could kick his ass.
YOu are so right. Colin Farrell has the range to do any kind of movie…he can even sing. He can play sweet and mean at the same time (ask the dust) Mean and sociapathic yet still show he can love his family.(Pride and glory) He’s just a great actor and I can’t wait for Triage and Ondine to finally come out. Gerard Butler is getting everything and I’m getting a little sick of him.
Ha. You’re so right about Colin F.
I can’t believe they were in talks with KEANU for this though, LMAO.
Butler could pull it off physically, but he’s a dud as an actor.
Fox can definitely pull it off emotionally, but I don’t know if the execs want to do what’s best for the character or have a big name to cover their asses if they have a terrible script. He’s not a pretty boy, but I thought your comment was funny since his mother apparently has Native-American roots.
I actually thought Farrell would be great in the role but if Gerald Butler can bring intensity like he did in 300, look out. The books are amazing, so hopefully they do not screw this one up.
cbs should cast either steven seagal,bruce willis,or jason statman as mitch rapp.
Seagal is just a little old and out of shape for this role if you have seen him lately. Willis wouldn’t do it and be able to keep it anywhere close to the 50 million budget they set for this. Statman possibly.
At first I thought Colin, but he is to young especially considering which of the books they are starting with. I guess out of the three Butler would probably be the best choice of the three.
I agree with the budget and age comments, the way I see it, Mitch Rapp is an American Assassin, as Flynn’s next book clearly states. Unfortunately any actor that comes from abroad to america will end up playing an american that always has a discernable accent, like Butler in Gamer and Law Abiding Citizen, as well as Colin Ferrel in both SWAT and Phone Booth. They are both good actors in thier own right but not right for the roll. Lastly, anyone of you that can act better than any of the people you crap on had better have an audition tape on the way and it BETTER be the best audition tape ever, I don’t see any of you on the big, or small sceen.
Colin Farrell is a joke that’s stopped being funny a long time ago.
I could see either Butler or Fox, but Butler isn’t very good at being intense AND complex at the same time. Fox does both great on TV, I’m sure it would transfer well to the big screen. He’s very good at being subtle and Rapp is more of a thinking man’s action hero. I could be OK with either him or Butler, just no Farrell, PLEASE!
No he’s not. He’s a character actor in the body of a leading man, and he’s been doing some fine work lately. In Bruges is brilliant, and he was great in Pride and Glory and Ondine.
How about WWE’s John Cena? He has 2 films under his belt that have done very well.
Jason Statham should play Rapp. Period. But out of the three you mention here, Colin Farrell has it all over them. If you want Colin at his most menacing, watch Pride & Glory w/ Ed Norton – it doesn’t get any scarier. Butler can’t do an American accent to save his fcking life – he’s a garbling douche who has hit a wall BIG TIME, the Anuston taint that’s now on him, after having starred in one of the worst movies of 2010 (Bounty C*unter), should insure that he stays far FAR away from any quality scripts. He sucks as an actor, and has all the muscle tone of a marshmallow and in the trailers for his latest monstrosity.
Transporter guy or Human Target guy….the rest won’t do!
It’s really hard to imagine that any idea could be worse than this one. I mean, the plot is exactly like the plot of several other movies that have failed in the last 2 or 3 years. All three of these actors are proven box office poison, Fuqua’s recent films have all failed and CBS doesn’t seem to known the first thing about making feature films. Unbelievable.
I guess my favorite quote is the head of development Amy Baer actually citing Colin Farrell’s work in SWAT. I mean at least if she said In Bruges I might not think she was a total idiot. How does this woman have a job that doesn’t require her to ask people if they want fries with their order.
Hollywood needs to learn a thing or two from The Green Zone flop. Vince Flynn has a decent-sized following and they will not take kindly to anti-American PC bullshit.
Flynn himself has said that he’s met with plenty of Hollywood producers and they all want to turn his ripped from the headlines terrorists that he researches obsessively and in depth with REAL counterterrorism agents into Hollywood’s idea of a bad guy: Dick Cheney. White Christian supremacists. ANYthing, but the real deal.
If they want to keep the movie under 50 mil. AND cast a good actor, Fox seems like the obvious choice.
lol, Green Zone was ‘anti-American PC bullshit”? How about historically accurate. Jeez, it was just 7 years ago this week, not really hard for most of us to remember the facts of our invasion of Iraq. Chalabi was a known con-artist and he fed Judy Miller all the bullshit in the film. Enough of the Fox Noise revisionism.