Jeremy Renner will be flexing his action-thriller skills once again, this time starring in a CIA oriented espionage thriller titled Kill the Messenger — although not in the way you think.
According to a recent article from Collider, Jeremy Renner will be playing Gary Webb, a news reporter whose life was ruined when he linked the CIA to a scheme arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua, who in turn used the arms to import vast amounts of cocaine into California. Webb goes on to publish a 1996 series called “Dark Alliance,” resulting in a smear campaign from by the CIA, an eventual depression, and ultimate suicide.
While we would normally warn you about a possible spoiler alert, there really is no need when you realize Gary Webb‘s story is true. Kill the Messenger will be based on Webb’s own Dark Alliance article series and Nick Shou’s Kill the Messenger, which details Webb’s life and tragedy.
This will be a considerable change for Jeremy Renner, and to be frank, one that seems to be quite fitting. His latest projects — Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, The Bourne Legacy, The Avengers, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol — have all seemed to be fun, but below the caliber of work Jeremy Renner is capable of. While many pundits like to slam The Hurt Locker for Oscar-related (see: sexist) reasons, the film did showcase Renner’s incredible potential.
Fortunately, Jeremy Renner will start production on Kill the Messenger right after he wraps up an untitled project with David O. Russell. He’ll also showcase his serious demeanor in an immigration story, Lowlife, and an aged-musician-redemption story in Imagine alongside Al Pacino. In other words, there will be plenty of serious Jeremy Renner to go around.
We’ll be sure to update you more on Kill the Messenger as more information is released. We do know Homeland and Dexter director Michael Cuesta is set to helm the project with a script from Peter Landesman. We also know we can’t wait to star mentioning co-stars.
