The Costner comeback continues with news that the Academy Award winner is in negotiations to take the lead role in the sci-fi thriller Criminal – currently being developed by Millennium Films. The film would see the actor as an unpredictable and dangerous character, who finds himself in the unusual predicament of being needed for action on the government side of the law. The knowledge and skills of a deceased CIA operative are implanted into his brain, and the shadowy organization asks him to finish the mission.
Criminal has Ariel Vromen attached to helm the project. Having made his first feature film – Simple Lies – in 2005, his most high profile directorial (and co-writing) effort to date has been 2012’s The Iceman – the true story of a contract killer – starring Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta and David Schwimmer.
Though the plot synopsis perhaps sounds like a Bourne Identity meets Strange Days kind of story, Criminal seems like a film to watch out for. If Kevin Costner does indeed take the lead role, it would be something of a departure for him, having only rarely ventured into the realm of sci-fi during his 34 year career. Those occasional forays have yielded disappointing results to say the least – with Waterworld and The Postman among their number. However, this story outline contains no reference to a post-apocalyptic world whatsoever, so we’re hopefully on more solid ground with this one.
Costner’s recent work has proven that he is still concerned with mixing things up – having delivered action roles in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and 3 Days To Kill, and gentler drama with his appearance in Man Of Steel and his lead in Draft Day – a brief sojourn to the world of quality science fiction would cement his return to the top of the Hollywood tree. It all depends on who will round out the cast – and with names like Vromen and Costner already in the mix, it surely won’t be long until we hear more about Criminal.