Vin Diesel had long been attached to Hitman as both a producer and as the role of assassin Agent 47, but the lead is now set to be played by Timothy Olyphant (Deadwood, Live Free or Die Hard, Dreamcatcher), who coincidentally appeared in the 2003 Vin Diesel vehicle A Man Apart. Also appearing in the film are Dougray Scott (Princess Caraboo, Desperate Housewives), Olga Kurylenko (Paris je tÂ’aime, Tyranny), Robert Knepper (Prison Break, Young Guns II), Ulrich Thomsen (Festen, The World is Not Enough) and Michael Offei (Casino Royale).

The film is being produced by Daniel Alter and action movie mega-producer Luc Besson, along with Adrian Askarieh and Chuck Gordon, producers of the upcoming game adaptation Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run.

After current shooting in Bulgaria is completed, filming will continue in South Africa, St. Petersburg, and London. Hitman is expected to hit theaters later this year, distributed by 20th Century Fox.