Glen Powell takes on a variety of characters — and viewers on a fun ride — in his latest film, “Hit Man.” The action comedy — now in theaters and on Netflix June 7 — is inspired by the true story of straight-laced professor Gary Johnson, who secretly worked for the New Orleans Police Department as a fake hitman. Enthralled with creating new disguises, Gary and his colleagues are genuinely impressed with his commitment and skills to have the hitman clients take the bait.
When doing one particular undercover assignment, he creates the suave, sexy and confident persona of Ron. Ron meets with potential client Madison (Adria Arjona), a beautiful woman who is in an abusive relationship and seeks a hitman to kill her husband. Gary unexpectedly begins to fall for the elusive Madison, setting off a chain reaction of — to put it lightly — WTF moments that leave audiences on the edge of their seats.
Powell approached director Richard Linklater after reading the 2001 on the real Gary Johnson’s life as a faux killer. Linklater said he'd read and been intrigued by Johnson’s story long before the “Anyone But You” star came across it. “It was such an intriguing character, this Gary Johnson guy who moonlights as a fake hitman.
That whole world, that whole environment is so interesting. So darkly funny, I never forgot it,” Linklater tells TODAY.com, noting that bringing it to the screen, however, was on the back burner.
“It just kind of spun around in my head and .
