Lady action heroes used to be a rarity, but it seems within the past few years we’ve started to see a shift in how females are used in action movies, and now more are given the opportunity to do more than just be a bunch of damsels in dresses. In 2010 alone we had Hit Girl (Kick-Ass), Lisbeth Salander (Millennium Trilogy), Black Widow (Iron Man 2), Evelyn Salt (Salt), Victoria (Red) and many more kick ass and take names.
So why do I mention this? Only because Joe Wright’s (Pride & Prejudice and The Soloist) latest is about a 14-year-old assassin who is trained by her father, played by Eric Bana. The young assassin is none other than Saoirse Ronan, the little girl many disdained in Atonement (also by Wright). I’ve read a little about this project but had avoided looking at any photos or footage until now.
Raised by her father, an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna’s upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. Sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.
Joe Wright directs Hanna from a screenplay co-written by himself, Joe Penhall (Enduring Love, The Road) and David Farr (“MI-5”). Focus Features, the independent/genre arm of Universal, who also released the assassin flick The American this year, will bring Hanna to theaters everywhere April 8, 2011.
