Dylan O’Brien appears to not be letting his ongoing recovery get in the way of his acting future. The Maze Runner star is now in talks to star in American Assassin, an adaptation of the Vince Flynn bestselling series, according to Deadline. CBS Films and Lionsgate are backing the potential franchise, that has Michael Cuesta (Kill the Messenger) in the director’s chair.
If the deal were to go through, O’Brien would play the title character, also known as Mitch Rapp, who begins carrying out counter-terrorist operations for the CIA after the loss of his fiancee during another such attack. The star-making vehicle will also feature another star, Oscar-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman), who has already signed on to play Stan Hurley, a Cold War vet who mentors the young assassin.
Mitch Rapp has appeared in 14 bestselling novels from Flynn, who recently passed away in 2013. This is therefore ripe to become the next big action franchise, and the addition of rising star O’Brien could turn that into a reality. The only roadblock now is his recovery from injuries sustained on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure. According to reports, those injuries include “a concussion, facial fracture, and lacerations” which caused a complete shutdown on production. CBS Films and Lionsgate hope to begin production on American Assassin in the fall, so O’Brien’s recovery as well as his potential schedule with finishing the third Maze Runner installment could both be major factors.
O’Brien will next appear in the real-life disaster story Deepwater Horizon and will continue to appear in his role as Stiles Stilinski in MTV’s Teen Wolf.
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