The Hitman video game series has had two movie adaptations, but while there were plans for Hitman 3, the film is looking more and more unlikely. The video game franchise was ground-breaking when it comes to stealth games. Where stealth games were generally slow-paced and overly serious, Hitman injected humor into the genre by allowing players to use goofy disguises and allowing different ways to assassinate targets. And with Agent 47 being such an entertaining playable character, It was the perfect series to adapt into a movie. Unfortunately, the movie adaptations weren't as successful as they could have been.

The first adaptation, 2007's Hitman, which saw Timothy Olyphant playing Agent 47, was successful enough, making $101 million off a $24 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). That was enough for 20th Century Fox to greenlight a sequel, but Olyphant didn't want to return for Hitman 2, which led to the sequel plans being spun into the reboot that arrived eight years later, Hitman: Agent 47. But with a higher budget and a much lower box office gross, the 2015 movie was a disappointment for the studio. However, that didn't keep the studio from trying again, as 20th Century Fox was still developing Hitman 3 in 2019.

Plans For Hitman 3 Were Scrapped When Disney Acquired 20th Century Fox

In 2019, Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, which meant that every property that the studio had the licensing rights to now belonged to the House of Mouse. Anything that was in development at 20th Century Fox was in limbo. No project was safe, and Disney canceled over 200 projects the studio was working on, including Hitman 3. As Disney is strict about its family-friendly content, it's hardly surprising that it had no idea what to do with Hitman, a series where the entertainment stems from violent kills. A PG-13 Hitman wouldn't have worked, and it would have been an insult to fans of the game.

The cancelation might have been for the best, as it isn't as if 20th Century Fox nailed the adaptation with either one of its attempts. Both Hitman movies a rated R, but neither one of them takes full advantage of it. And neither fully utilize any of the Hitman series' best trademarks, such as the disguises and inventive murders, as he mostly sticks to his two signature silverballers. If anything, Disney would have known how to develop more of an entertaining Hitman movie, taking advantage of Agent 47's ridiculous disguises and socially inept personality. It would have successfully adapted the comedy violence too, but it would have fallen short on the graphic details.

What Happened To The Hitman Show On Hulu?

While Hitman 3 is extremely unlikely at this point, there were plans for a Hitman series on Hulu in 2017. John Wick creator Derek Kolstad was attached to write the series and explained the new approach as "similar to the Jason Bourne films." Unfortunately, there haven't been any updates on the show since. Voice actor David Bateson, who has voiced Agent 47 in every single video game, simply noted, "It sort of went dead" (via The Gamer).

20th Century Fox turned the fun, globetrotting video game series into a moody, uninventive, sci-fi thriller, and it was asking too much of general audiences when four different clones of Agent 47 were sword fighting underground. However, Hulu has seemingly become the platform where Disney gives stale franchises their comeback movies. Both Hellraiser and Prey, the Predator prequel, were critically acclaimed following a string of bad movies, and Hitman 3 could be given the same Hulu treatment.