The latest trailer for American Assassin highlights CIA Black Ops recruit Mitch Rapp (Dylan O'Brien) in his singleminded pursuit of a mysterious operative named Ghost (Taylor Kitsch) - a central antagonist who is fictitiously intent on staring a world war in the Middle East. Based on the 2010 novel of the same name written by Vince Flynn, the new movie directed by Michael Cuesta will follow the events of the original book, with a supporting turn from Oscar-nominee Michael Keaton as Cold War veteran Stan Hurley.

Based on all appearances offered thus far, Cuesta has a fairly exciting action-thriller in the making on his hands, and with any luck fans of the original novel will be pleased with how things turn out with this big screen adaptation. O'Brien has proven that he has the acting chops to lead a franchise with his previous role in The Maze Runner series - and by the looks of things in the latest trailer for American Assassin, the young American actor has another potential crowdpleaser on the way.

In the trailer above, potential viewers of American Assassin can get another sneak peek behind the scenes at everything Cuesta's new film has to offer. After brushing past a tortured past that continues to define the professional and personal ambition of O'Brien's Mitch Rapp - namely the murder of his girlfriend at the hands of terrorists - the new trailer for the new movie promises an even more thrilling backstory that stands behind Kitsch's nefarious Ghost.

Once a trainee of Keaton's Stan Hurley, Ghost has somehow lost sight of the values that were once instilled into him as a CIA operative, and has since become embroiled in the chaos and violence of a cinematically heightened Middle Eastern setting. With the threat of a third world war seemingly on the immediate horizon, American Assassin promises to be another exciting action-thriller about contemporary military strategies, both at home and abroad.

Cuesta has proven himself thus far to be a largely capable director within the action/thriller genre - as evidenced by his noteworthy resume, which includes multiple episodes of the TV series Homeland, as well as the true story-based drama/thriller Kill the Messenger. If everything goes well, American Assassin will prove to be another testament to the established filmmaker's rising stature within the entertainment industry at large.

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Source: Lionsgate Films

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