The Big Picture
- Richard Linklater's highly anticipated action-comedy Hit Man is set for release on Netflix in June.
- The film follows a professor turned fake hitman who falls in love with a woman who hires him.
- Lead actor Glen Powell also serves as producer and co-writer on the film, marking his first screenwriting credit.
Dust off the big guns, because Richard Linklater has returned to the screen, and his newest film is a big one. After a successful run at numerous film festivals in 2023, the first trailer for Hit Man, the highly anticipated action-comedy starring Top Gun: Maverick’sGlen Powell has arrived, and it’s not holding back.
Based on a Texas Monthly feature, the film follows a professor turned fake hitman, Gary Johnson (Powell), who finds himself in way over his head when he falls head over heels for a woman (Adria Arjona) who hires him for his supposed skills. The teaser gives us a brief look at their relationship, as well as Gary’s impressive disguise skills, while not revealing too much about the chaos the two will find themselves in once the film hits Netflix in June. It’s Linklater’s take on a romantic comedy, which means that it’s anything but your standard popcorn fare, of course, and seems primed to deliver on the high expectations that have been set by its warm reception at film festivals over the last year.
Hit Man is Powell’s follow-up to Anyone But You, another film that touches on romantic comedy elements, though in a completely different direction. The film is also set to make its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival today, as part of their Spotlight series giving audience to some of the best films on the festival circuit — a surefire positive sign for the film.
Powell & Linklater Have a Filmmaking History
The film is not Powell’s first collaboration with Linklater, either. He recently starred in the director’s animated film, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood — also Linklater’s most recent project — as well as featuring in his 2016 film Everybody Wants Some!!, which many consider the spiritual successor to Dazed and Confused. But this team-up between the two is a bit different: Powell also serves as producer and co-writer on the film in addition to starring, marking his first screenwriting credit.
Hit Man will premiere on Netflix on June 7, with a short theatrical release preceding it. Check out the new trailer below:
