#Brad Pitt Takes the Lead in Bullet Train from Hobbs and Shaw Director David Leitch

Brad Pitt has lined up his next project. The Oscar-winning actor has signed on to star in Bullet Train, which is currently in the works at Sony Pictures. David Leitch, who is known for his work directing Deadpool 2 and the Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, recently signed on to direct what is being described as a contained action/thriller. It looks to be the next project on deck for both Pitt and Leitch, who have been carefully strategizing following their recent successes.

According to several reports, Bullet Train will be the next directorial effort for David Leitch following Hobbs & Shaw, as well as the next starring effort for Brad Pitt. The 56-year-old actor is coming off of an Oscar win for his work in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This also marks the eighth collaboration overall between Leitch and Pitt. Before becoming a director, Leitch worked as a stuntman. He worked as a stunt double for Pitt on movies like Fight Club, Ocean’s Eleven, The Mexican and Spy Game, as well as Troy and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Though, Leitch was an uncredited stunt double in most cases. Pitt also had a brief cameo in Deadpool 2.

Bullet Train is based on Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka. The book is set to be published in English next year. It centers on a group of five assassins who find themselves on a fast moving train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They come to find their missions are not unrelated to each other. It then becomes a matter of who will make it off of the train alive, as well as what awaits them at the terminal.

Zak Olkewicz is set to pen the screenplay, with David Leitch supervising. Olkewicz previously served as a producer on Lights Out and wrote the script for the upcoming adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street. Leitch, Kelly McCormick, Antoine Fuqua and Kat Samick are set to produce. Fuqua had originally been developing the project.

David Leitch has been on a hot streak as of late. He co-directed the first John Wick before moving on to helm Atomic Blonde solo, which went on to become a hit. That paved the way for him to take on Deadpool 2, which grossed $734 million worldwide. Hobbs & Shaw managed to successfully expand the scope of Fast & Furious, earning $759 million.

Brad Pitt remains one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood. In 2019, Pitt also starred in director James Gray’s Ad Astra. Pitt is also set to star alongside Emma Stone in Damien Chazelle’s Babylon. Production on that project has been bumped to 2021, which freed Pitt up to sign on for Bullet Train. There is no word yet on when production will begin, but given the scope of the movie, it is said the production will be able to utilize a closed set. That will make it much easier to shoot, given the new restrictions and safety protocols in place. This news was previously reported by Variety.