Two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz sure looks dapper in the first-look image for the upcoming action-comedy Old Guy. Waltz plays Danny, an aging contract killer who is paired up with the prodigious assassin Wilhborg, played by Cooper Hoffman. The odd couple is tasked with eliminating the top members of a competing crime syndicate, which leads them to discover that they’re pawns in a conspiracy.
The first-look image shows Danny wearing a stylish tan leather jacket with a pair of jeans, casually holding a cigarette in his hand. His handlebar mustache gives him an almost retro look, perhaps indicating that he's the kind of man who wants to relive his own glory days by any possible means. His Gen Z partner has a bemused expression on his face, as he scratches his chin. This is a familiar premise for a buddy movie, and Hoffman and Waltz certainly make for an interesting pair. Hoffman, of course, is the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. The young actor made a splashy starring debut in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza a couple of years ago. Almost as splashy, some would say, as Waltz’s introduction to American audiences in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, for which he won an Oscar. Waltz won a second Academy Award for his performance in Tarantino’s Django Unchained.
Old Guy is directed by Simon West, who was once the most prominent directors working in mainstream action cinema. West is best known for the ‘90s hit Con Air, starring Nicolas Cage, and the video game adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. He also helmed the Jason Statham vehicle The Mechanic, and the second installment in the Expendables franchise. West has spent the better part of the last half-decade directing foreign language projects — the Chinese action films Skyfire and The Legend Hunters, and the Spanish Prime Video series Boundless.
Old Guy Is Right Up Christoph Waltz's Alley
Waltz followed up his breakout performance in Inglorious Basterds with a string of villainous roles in movies such as The Green Hornet, Water for Elephants, The Three Musketeers, The Legend of Tarzan and Spectre. He last starred in the Prime Video thriller series The Consultant. In a statement, West called Waltz “one of the most versatile actors working today,” and expressed his excitement at the collaboration. Old Guy could be right up the actor's alley, considering his penchant for playing colorful characters with a comedic edge.
Also starring Lucy Liu, who plays Danny’s love interest Anata, Old Guy recently wrapped production in Northern Ireland. The film is written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son) and produced by Jib Polhemus (The Last Son, The Expendables 2), Martin Brennan (One Way, Zone 414), West and R.U. Robot Studio’s Petr Jákl (Medieval, The Last Full Measure). Hal Sadoff (The Nice Guys, Orphan: First Kill) and Norman Golightly (Lord of War, Ghost Rider) produce on behalf of Dark Castle Entertainment. You can get a better look at the first-look image here, and read the official synopsis down below.
Aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck at a dead end but vying for the love of club manager Anata (Lucy Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field, but only to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with an attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate top members of a competing crime syndicate and, in the process, uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover. However, The Company didn’t anticipate that Danny’s experience coupled with the kid’s brilliance would create such an unlikely bond between the two, enabling them, with crucial help from Anata, to turn it all back on The Company.