Joe Wright's Assassin Thriller 'Hanna' Sounds Interesting…

...and a bit like a 'Leon - The Professional' spin-off

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Tuesday, February 9th 2010 at 5:21 AM

Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett

I have yet to mention the upcoming Focus Features action-thriller Hanna set to be directed by Atonement and Pride and Prejudice helmer Joe Wright, but principal casting seems to be complete and it's a line-up worthy of mention.

The film stars Saoirse Ronan who starred as young Brione in Wright's Atonement and more recently as Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones. Ronan plays a 14-year-old girl trained by her ex-CIA operative father to be an assassin of sorts, which sort of makes the film sound like a Leon – The Professional spin-off in a way, considering Natalie Portman starred as 12-year-old Mathilde in that film, opposite Jean Reno playing an assassin who ends up caring for the young girl and teaching her his trade.

The Playlist, a site that has read the script by Seth Lochhead and David Farr says the film reads like a La Femme Nikita meets Bourne actioner. The site gives a more complete storyline saying the film follows a 14-year-old girl who uses the survival skills taught to her from her ex-U.S. military/CIA father to survive a Swedish wilderness, and battle U.S. intelligence agencies while she treks across Europe to be reunited with her dad.

Erica Bana is set to star as the father and Deadline is now reporting Cate Blanchett has signed on to play the film's antagonist. While Deadline doesn't have the details on Blanchett's character, The Playlist again steps up with the following:

[Having read the script] we can say without question [Blanchett will play] the role of Maria, the central villain, a high-level CIA agent chasing down Hanna, who knows her father's methods all too well from their past history and work together in the field.

It's certainly a departure from Wright's better known period pieces as well as his most recent film, The Soloist. In Santa Barbara, ComingSoon.net caught up with Ronan on the red carpet where she told the site, "I wouldn't call it an action movie. It's a movie that has a lot of action in it. It goes quite deep as to where Hanna comes from and what she's all about. To me, it doesn't seem like your typical action film or action hero. She's a very interesting character and I think she's going to be very interesting to play."

The screenplay was one of the 97 that made 2009's Black List. Shooting is scheduled to take place around Europe later this year, presumably for a 2011 release.