Hitman movie has a new Agent 47, Homeland's Rupert Friend

The theatrical reboot of the Hitman franchise has a new star. According to a report in Variety, Rupert Friend, who stars in Showtime's Homeland, will replace the man previously slated to play Agent 47, Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in November.

Friend will succeed Timothy Olyphant, who played Agent 47 in the 2007 film Hitman.

The new movie will be titled Agent 47 and helmed by director Aleksander Bach, whose previous work is primarily in commercials and short films. Skip Wood (Hitman, A Good Day to Die Hard) and Michael Finch (Predators) are reportedly attached to the film's script.

Earlier this week, Square Enix confirmed that developer Io Interactive was developing a new Hitman game for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, while Square Enix Montreal was leading mobile development on the franchise.