‘John Wick’ Directors To Direct Charlize Theron In ‘The Coldest City’
It seems everyone wants a piece ofDavid LeitchandChad Stahelskithese days. Ever since the success ofJohn Wick, the directing duo has seen their to-do list balloon to include such high-profile projects asBloodshotandJohn Wick 2. Now here’s one more to add to the pile:The Coldest City, a spy thriller to starCharlize Theron.
Get all the details on Leitch and Stahelski’s new Charlize TheronColdest Cityproject after the jump.
Deadlinereports Focus Features is nearing an eight-figure deal to giveThe Coldest Citya wide release in North America. Leitch and Stahelski will direct from a script byKurt Johnstad, which in turn will be based on the Oni Press graphic novel byAnthony Johnston. Johnstad’s credits includeAct of Valor,300, and300: Rise of an Empire, and he is one of several writers working on WB/DC’sAquamanscript.
Set shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall,The Coldest Citywill star Theron as a spy who’s spurred into action following the death of an underground MI6 officer. He was carrying a list of every secret agent working in the area — on both sides — and it falls to Theron’s character to retrieve that information before it leads to international mayhem.
Theron will produceThe Coldest City, which has a budget north of $30 million. The project is currently on track to shoot this October in Germany. That suggests it’s taking priority over the other films on Stahelski and Leitch’s docket. We had suspectedJohn Wick 2could move beforeBloodshot, which is due out in 2017, but now it’s unclear whatThe Coldest Citywill do to those schedules.
Stahelski and Leitch made their directing debut withJohn Wick, which turned out to be one of the best action movies of last year. Hollywood took notice, and the guys have been in high demand ever since. As of a couple of months ago they were in early talks forCowboy Ninja Viking, and rumor had it they were being courted for a DC movie as well.
Theron is coming off of her owncritically acclaimedaction flick,Mad Max: Fury Road. Beyond that, she has the Gillian Flynn adaptationDark Placescoming out later this year, and is now shooting the Snow White-freeSnow White and the Huntsmansequel,The Huntsman.
