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‘Hit Man’ Director Richard Linklater Says Studios ‘Really Didn’t Want to Make the Film’: Movies Get ‘Greenlit by the Marketing Department’ and Have ‘Become Really Safe Choices’


Richard Linklater is opening up about the hurdles to producing "Hit Man," saying that studios initially "really didn't want to make the film."

Based on a true story, “Hit Man” stars Powell as Ron, a part-time police staffer who ends up going undercover as a hitman to arrest those that hire him. When asked about the current state of the film industry, Linklater weighed in on the debate surrounding studios opting for franchises and IP over original stories. Of his co-writer and star, Linklater joked that between “Hit Man” and the forthcoming “Twisters” standalone sequel, audiences are having a “summer of Glen.” He applauded Powell, who he first worked with on his 2006 film “Fast Food Nation” and later on 2016’s “Everybody Wants Some,” for carving his own path in an industry that he said is lacking in “adult breakout roles.”

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