Saban Films has announced the release date for the upcoming sci-fi action film Assassin starring Bruce Willis. The new film starring the legendary actor opposite Nomzamo Mbatha (Coming 2 America) is set to release in theaters, On-Demand, and on digital on March 31, 2023.

Assassin takes place in the near future where a secret military group led by Willis uses a newly invented microchip technology that allows them to perform deadly and extremely covert missions by letting their agents enter the body of another person. After an agent played by Mustafa Shakir (Luke Cage) is killed during one of these missions, his wife (Mbatha) joins the team in his place so that she can bring the man responsible for his death to justice.

Assassin is the feature film directorial debut for Jesse Atlas, who also served as a co-writer on the film alongside Aaron Wolfe. Additional starring cast members joining Willis, Mbatha, and Shakir include Andy Allo (Upload) and Dominic Purcell (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow). This will be one of Willis' final films of his long and storied career as the actor retired last year in 2022.

Nomzamo Mbatha in Assassin
Image via Saban Films

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A Word From the Director

Along with the announcement of the release date for Assassin, Atlas also provided a statement about the film and gave some insight into what the film is striving to convey. “Assassin is an exploration of identity," said Atlas.

"The evolution of drone warfare from remotely piloting machinery to remotely inhabiting another person raises important questions about what it means to truly be oneself. Can we retain our identity when the face in the mirror is not our own? How do we navigate our psyche when cognitive dissociation becomes a daily routine? What kind of memory is imprinted when a complete stranger wraps you in an intimate embrace, and you feel their touch on skin that isn’t actually yours?"

He continued by saying, "It's a psychological minefield, and Aaron Wolfe and I were instantly drawn in by the challenge of visualizing and humanizing the story. The concept gave us so many unique storytelling devices to play with, from mind-bending visuals and surreal sound design, to the repeated spoken mantra 'This is not my body.'"

He went on to speak about how special it was to work with the great cast and crew, pointing to the performances of Mbatha and Allo and touching on how both "fearlessly embraced each other’s choices to discover a shared emotional truth that resonated for both of them." He closed by saying that he was "proud to have created an experience that will linger long after the credits roll, and I can’t wait to hear the conversations it will inspire among the audience."

Assassin is set to debut in theaters, on-demand, and on digital on March 31. Check out the official trailer as well as the synopsis for the upcoming sci-fi action below.

Bruce Willis (Glass) and Nomzamo Mbatha (Coming 2 America) star in this action-packed sci-fi thrill ride. A private military operation led by (Willis) invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert, deadly missions. But when an agent (Mustafa Shakir) is killed during a secret mission, his wife (Mbatha) takes his place in an attempt to bring the man responsible to Justice.