It’s no understatement that this spring’s The Host may go down as one of the most forgettable, poorly received films of the year. Coming from a Stephenie Meyer novel, we had a sliver of hope that director Andrew Niccol, who has excelled in the world of science-fiction, could make something dramatically interesting, but that didn’t shake out. The director is back on his feet, though, and reteaming with an actor who helped create his best film.
Niccol is in talks to reteam with his Gattaca (and Lord of War) star Ethan Hawke for an untitled project. According to Deadline, the thriller will track Hawke as a fighter pilot who becomes a drone pilot based in Las Vegas. The internal conflict comes in when he lives a normal life in the suburbs with his family and then goes to work, killing the Taliban for a day job. According to a brief plot synopsis, “he starts to question his mission, and asking himself if he is creating more terrorists than he is killing in a war seemingly without end.”
While he’s recently participated in thrillers like Getaway and The Purge, conjuring up little interest, Hawke led one of the finest films of the year with Before Midnight and is currently reteaming with his Hamlet director Michael Almereyda for another Shakespeare adaptation, Cymbeline. He’ll then jump to this Niccol project, which kicks off production in February.