Kevin Costner, movie star. No, it is not 1994. It is still 2012 and Costner has finally shrugged off the twin failures of both Waterworld and The Postman to face what can only be seen as one hell of a career upswing.
Deadline Hollywood reports (via /Film) that Costner is being eyed for both that Chris Pine-starring Jack Ryan franchise reboot and the Luc Besson-penned Three Days to Kill, big action roles that would join his expanding schedule, which might also include a starring role in the Disney sports drama, McFarland (though reports are now emerging that Costner, who was considered set for the film, may be out).
Costner has already been offered a “co-lead role” in Kenneth Branagh‘s Jack Ryan film, a role that is a “new creation, but a close cousin to the role of CIA bigwig Admiral Greer that was played by James Earl Jones in Patriot Games.” The new character would set Costner as Ryan’s mentor and that, coupled with the tantalizing “co-lead” descriptor, make it sound like a very big deal.
Beyond the Ryan role, Costner could have also found his Liam-Neeson-becomes-a-badass-thanks-to-Taken style part in the Adi Hasak- and Besson-scripted Three Days to Kill. Costner has been offered the film’s lead role as Ethan Renner, a dying assassin who needs to take on, you guessed it!, one last mission while also seeking to reunite with his daughter. We can only assume that he has just three days to accomplish both tasks. McG is said to be in the running to direct, so that’s the kind of film that one is.
The Costner resurgence has been brewing for awhile, with the actor catapulting back into cinephile consciousnesses with a rumored role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. While Costner didn’t ultimately sign on to Django, he’s managed to keep busy with a pair of projects that have both drawn notice. Though most attention has been directed to his role in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel, he garnered considerable praise for his turn (Emmy-nominated, to boot!) in the History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys, which debuted earlier this year.
Now let’s all go watch Tin Cup.