Mike Fleming

File this one under, exclusive, my ass. Back in early August, Deadline broke the story that Kevin Costner would star in Three Days to Kill, and also told you that McG was going to direct and Relativity Media would distribute in North America, with Luc Besson writing the script with Adi Hasak and producing through his Europacorp. We even told you Costner would star in the France-set action film as Ethan Renner, a government assassin who is dying and wants to reconcile with his daughter while taking on one final mission. This was in a story about how he would join the Jack Ryan picture, and  how good it would be to see him back in the action fold after Hatfields & McCoys.

Two months later, Variety is breathlessly claiming an exclusive just because Relativity decided to leak a press release (the company has been leaking heavily in the last 24 hours), by revealing only that the film has no title. Here is Relativity’s press release.

(Beverly Hills, Calif.) October 2, 2012 – EuropaCorp and Relativity Media have closed deals with Oscar®-Winner Kevin Costner (The Bodyguard, Dances With Wolves, Open Range) to star as the lead in this upcoming gripping action tale with McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) attached to direct from a screenplay by Luc Besson (Taken, Transporter) and Adi Hasak (From Paris With Love). The two companies will work in tandem throughout the creative and production process on the film.

The thriller explores a story about Secret Service Agent Ethan Runner who discovers he’s dying and decides to retire in order to reconnect with his estranged family. But when the Secret Service offers him access to an experimental drug that could save his life in exchange for one last assignment, he soon finds himself trying to juggle his family, his mission, and the drug’s hallucinatory side-effects.

The film is being produced by EuropaCorp’s Besson and Virginie Besson-Silla (From Paris with Love), Hasak and Relativity’s CEO, Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter). Relativity’s President, Tucker Tooley (Immortals) will executive produce.

This marks the second of two films that EuropaCorp and Relativity will collaborate on as a part of a co-production and co-financing deal that was announced in May. The deal also includes the darkly comedic action film Malavita directed by Besson and starring Oscar®-Winner Robert De Niro (Limitless, Heat), Oscar®-Nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (Dark Shadows, People Like Us), Oscar®-Winner Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men, Men in Black), Dianna Agron (Glee, I Am Number Four) and John D’Leo (The Wrestler, Wanderlust).

Up next, Relativity will release the outrageous Movie 43 (in theatres January 25, 2013), the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling Safe Haven (in theatres February 8, 2013), the comedy 21 and Over (in theatres March 15, 2013) and the corporate espionage thriller Paranoia (in theatres October 4, 2013). Relativity is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s gritty dramatic thriller currently-titled Out of the Furnace.

EuropaCorp is currently releasing internationally Taken 2, the sequel to its franchise hit

Taken (Liam Neeson), directed by Olivier Megaton. EuropaCorp is also in post-production on Mobius, directed by Eric Rochant, starring Oscar®-Winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Cécile de France (Here After), and Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, The Incredible Hulk).

Costner was represented in his deal by WME and McG was represented by Management360 in his deal.