HIT MAN (2023): Netflix Grabs Richard Linklater’s Acclaimed New Film For $20 Million

Netflix Nabs Hit Man for $20 Million

Glen Powell stars in a new film, Hit Man, which is directed by Richard Linklater and has been picked up by Netflix for distribution at the cost of $20 million.

The big “hit” of the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals was a Richard Linklater dark, comedic thriller titled, Hit Man. With Netflix backing it up after closing a $20 million deal, the film looks likely to be an awards contender and something which will get terrific viewership when it finally premiers on the streamer. Though the performances of the movie’s stars, Glen Powell and Adria Arjona, have been widely praised, many expect the script (written by Powell and Linklater) itself to have “Oscar nomination potential” written all over it.

There may also be a theatrical release associated with the highly anticipated Hit Man as well. Alongside Netflix’s $11 million pickup of Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour, it looks like the streamer has been spending the necessary money to acquire quality motion pictures for its customers. Woman of the Hour centers on the life of a serial killer who appeared on the game show, “The Dating Game.”

Based on a news article, Hit Man chronicles the story of a schoolteacher (Powell) who works for the cops to nab people who want to kill others. This teacher pretends to be a hit man; hence the film’s title. All bets are off when Powell’s character meets and falls for the beautiful wife (played by Arjona) who wants him to bump off her abusive husband.

Linklater is no stranger to writing acclaimed movies or box-office hits. Linklater’s Before trilogy earned great critic reviews and plenty of fans over the years while School of Rock cemented Linklater’s name as a director who knows how to make a crowd-pleasing comedy. It has been almost a decade since Linklater’s Boyhood cleaned up with Academy Award nominations. With Hit Man, it could happen all over again. An Oscar could be just around the corner for writing Hit Man for both Linklater and Powell if audiences (and Oscar voters) react to the picture as strongly as critics have. Powell could just hear his name be called for a Best Actor Academy Award nod as well.

Netflix is known for aggressively campaigning worthy movies and performances. Last year, they managed to get Ana de Armas an Oscar nod when others had ruled her out of the running for Blonde. With Hit Man being universally praised, it should be a lot easier to get it all the Oscar glory it deserves for the streamer which is known for constantly putting out interesting content for its customers.

Leave your thoughts on Netflix’s $20 million deal for Hit Man below in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. Readers seeking more movie news can visit our Movie News Page, our Movie News Twitter Page, and our Movie News Facebook Page. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Feedly, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Mastodon, and Flipboard. This news was brought to our attention by Deadline.