The newest action-thriller franchise in the making, American Assassin, has been slowly building steam since the film found its star in Dylan O'Brien. Based on the ongoing book series by Vince Flynn, the film has been in development for several years now, and looked at stars like Bruce Willis and Chris Hemsworth to star as black ops agent Mitch Rapp. Since O'Brien has been cast, we've been treated to some fantastic images of him as Mitch, as well as with the rest of the cast.

Now, with the film in post production, Lionsgate has announced the official release date for the movie that could well launch a whole new franchise.

ComingSoon reports the film will be released in theaters on September 15 of this year. This puts it after the big summer blockbuster season, but up against some other major action movies, which may come as something of a surprise. Kingsman: The Golden Circle will be released later that month on September 29, after it was pushed back from a date earlier in the summer. Another military action-thriller, Renegades, will also be released this month, on September 1.

Shiva Negar, Michael Keaton, Nej Adamson, and Dylan O'Brien
Mitch, Stan, and fellow agents work together.

For fans of shoot-em-up action movies, this means that September is shaping up to be an incredible month on the big screen. Kingsman: The Golden Circle will be counting on existing fans to boost ticket sales, and while American Assassin is looking to launch a new franchise, fans of the book series will hopefully be enough to make this adaptation a success. The book series is currently 15 novels long, and this is the kind of property that could be adapted into a Bond-style franchise with endless possibilities for future films. The star-studded cast should also bring in audiences, as Maze Runner fans will want to see O'Brien in his new role, alongside big names like Michael Keaton and Taylor Kitsch.

Of course, putting American Assassin up against two other similar action movies is something of a gamble, and it seems that Lionsgate may be relying on the popularity of the books to keep it ahead of the competition. The film could also be moved to a different date, should Lionsgate decide it would rather not compete directly with the Kingsman sequel, given the premise similarities and the massive success of the first Kingsman film in 2014. As we have already seen with Kingsman: The Golden Circle, release dates are flexible this far out, so we will have to wait and see if American Assassin sticks with its chose date.

Next: American Assassin Images Feature Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton & More

American Assassin is expected on September 15, 2017.

Source: Coming Soon