Lionsgate has unveiled a new photo from the upcoming action-comedy sequel The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard showing stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. The 2017 predecessor The Hitman's Bodyguard centered on an elite private bodyguard as he tries to restore his reputation by protecting a convicted hitman on his way to testify against a dictator for war crimes. Also starring Salma Hayek, Élodie Young, and Gary Oldman, the film was a box office smash and received mixed reviews from critics, though it generally was praised for the chemistry between the central characters and its action sequences.
After initially announcing the sequel in May 2018, production on The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard didn't get underway until March 2019 in Europe. The action comedy assembled a new ensemble cast with Frank Grillo, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, and Tom Hopper, all of whom joined original stars Jackson, Reynolds, Hayek and Richard E. Grant. Initially set for an August 2020 release, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard suffered the same fate as many last year as it received delays while theaters remained closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It's currently set to hit theaters on June 16.
Included in USA Today's roundup of new photos from the most hotly-anticipated films of the summer is the new image of Jackson and Reynolds' Darius Kincaid and Michael Bryce taking a breather after encountering some danger. With Banderas set as a villainous mobster hunting down Darius, Bryce, and Hayek's Sonia, the group is sure to face some of the biggest hardships of their globe-trotting lives. The full image can be viewed below.
Though audiences still have yet to learn the motivations behind Banderas' currently-unnamed villain in tracking down the group, the real thing they're looking forward to is more outlandish and R-rated antics from Jackson and Reynolds. The original movie may have been fairly predictable for those familiar with the action and buddy genres, but there was no denying two of fans' favorite Marvel performers finally uniting for The Hitman's Bodyguard was an absolute delight. With Bryce on a company-mandated sabbatical in the sequel, it should be particularly interesting to see if that adds a new dynamic to his and Darius' partnership or if it amplifies the differences between the two professionals.
Whatever the case may be, the sheer fact the two are reuniting alongside original writer Tom O'Connor and director Patrick Hughes is already a good indicator the things audiences loved about the first film will be properly utilized for the second outing. Plus, between this and Spiral: From the Book of Saw, it's certainly shaping up to be the summer of Samuel L. Jackson, which is an exciting prospect. Jackson and Reynolds will return for more R-rated hilarity when The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard hits theaters on June 16.
Source: USA Today
