(Correction from Jeremy: According to producer Adrian Askarieh, Dougray Scott is not playing "the baddie" in Hitman as suggested by other outlets, but something much more "complex". He didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t press because I love surprises, like the time I walked in on my dad crying during a Crohn’s Disease segment on Real People. In any event, disregard all references to Mr. Scott as an antagonist. The only bad guy here is me, and that will forever be my burden.)
I worry about Dougray Scott. I really do. Though a perfectly capable actor as evidenced by his solid turns in Twin Town, Enigma and some other stuff (the bitches seem to dig that Ever After movie), he’s probably best known for having just missed out on two of the biggest franchise roles of the last decade: Wolverine and James Bond. The latter slight shouldn’t bother him too much, as he was one of several virile, accented thespians passed over in favor of Daniel Craig, but the former still has to sting a little; after all, the only reason we’re not discussing Scott in movie star terms is because Mission: Impossible II went two months over schedule (in case you’ve blotted that classic from memory, Scott was the smolderingly handsome dude playing Claude Rains to Tom Cruise’s Cary Grant). Considering how that film turned out, I’d be pissed if it forced me to reschedule a dentist’s appointment, much less lose the pivotal role in Bryan Singer’s X-Men to a song-and-dance man from Australia.
But Dougray has bravely forged ahead, booking a recurring role on Desperate Houswives and, um, landing a fourth or fifth-billed appearance in Walter Salles’s remake of Dark Water. The guy just doesn’t know the meaning of the word "quit" – and I wouldn’t either if I was laying the pipe to Claire Forlani every night. And while life has had a funny way of kicking him in the nuts over the years, he’s just scored a… well, a really swell role in the Luc Besson-produced adaptation of the IO Interactive video game, Hitman. That’s just awesome, Dougray. We’re all so proud of you.
Dougray will be playing the baddie opposite Timothy Olyphant’s Agent 47, who, according to the Variety article, is being chased all over creation by Interpol and the Russian army. Bummer. The movie will serve as the directorial debut for Xavier Gens, whose most impressive credit to date is "trainee assistant director" on Tsui Hark’s very wonderful Double Team. Also cast to thus far indeterminate effect are Robert Knepper, Michael Offei (I’d love to get a pronunciation on that), Ulrich Thomsen and this, which looks a bit old to be playing the female lead in a Luc Besson production. I just hope they’re all especially supportive of Dougray.
