HOMELAND Star Rupert Friend to Replace Paul Walker in AGENT 47

Fast & Furious 7 wasn’t the only project that Paul Walker was working on before his unfortunate passing.  The actor was poised to follow up the seventh Fast & Furious film with the actioner Agent 47, but THR reports that producers have now tapped Homeland star Rupert Friend to take over the role.  The Fox International film is a reboot/sequel of sorts to the 2007 film Hitman and revolves around an elite, bald-headed assassin who sports a barcode on the back of his head.  In Agent 47, the titular character is tasked with protecting a waitress targeted by a group known as the Syndicate, though she may be more than she seems.  Commercials director Aleksander Bach is taking the helm from a script by Kyle Ward, Skip Woods, and Michael Finch.

Friend has been shining recently as CIA operative Peter Quinn on the Showtime series Homeland, but his feature credits include Pride & Prejudice, The Libertine, and The Young Victoria.