Michael Keaton is set to star in 'American Assassin'.
Michael Keaton
Hot off the back of his recent successes in the 2015 Oscar-winning title 'Spotlight' and 2014's 'Birdman' - for which he received universal acclaim and won the 2014 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his portrayal of Riggan Thomson - the 64-year-old actor has signed up to play a covert CIA operative named Stan Hurley in the thriller.
Described as "a badass Cold War veteran", Stan teaches budding operatives how to kill in the blockbuster, which has been adapted from Vince Flynn's 2010 novel.
However, the plot takes a turn for the sinister when his prodigy Mitch Rapp's fiancée is killed in a terrorist attack and the grieving assassin embarks on a vengeance-fuelled quest to stop World War III from unfolding.
Movie bosses are searching for a young actor to portray Rapp, while the film has found its director in Michael Cuesta - who has helmed a number of episodes of TV drama 'Homeland'.
Meanwhile, the novelist behind the movie - who died in 2013 - wrote 14 books with the character which beggars the question whether this will be the first of many outings for Keaton as the aged teacher and his yet to be named co-star.
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