10 Actors Who Could Play Agent 47 Better Than Timothy Olyphant or Rupert Friend

The other day I went to go see [Hitman: Agent 47](tag:593267) in the theaters, expecting much more than was delivered. Everyone remembers Timothy Olyphant's terrible movie Hitman, and I honestly felt that Rupert Friend didn't do much better. While neither of these men are bad actors, I just felt like they didn't channel the video game character to their full potential, and they weren't big enough stars to make us overlook their bad performances, blinded by star power. In our modern society, video game movies are finally starting to get A-listers invested in the films, so it would not be too far fetched to see a big star take on Hitman. I mean, Michael Fassbender is doing [Assassin's Creed](tag:437814), Karl Urban and The Rock did Doom, Mark Whalberg and Mila Kunis did Max Payne, and we saw the lovely and talented Zachary Quinto give the best and most evil performance in the newest Hitman movie. Why can't we see a big star finally play Agent 47? Well, I'm going to mainly focus on this ideal in my post, and I hope you agree with most of my choices.

1. James Badge Dale

Chances are I know what's going through your head right now. "Who is this guy? Did he just really go on about why someone really famous needs to play Hitman, and his first choice is a practical no name?" Well, I just can't overlook Dale. I hate going along with the trend of casting little know actors in the role of Hitman, but I swear that this guy was born for the role. Go watch Iron Man 3, and you will understand. In that movie, not only was he bald (and looked like Agent 47 perfectly), but he played the perfect menacing yet calm character. Also, you will notice that he has the perfect voice for the character as well! He's honestly Hitman to a tee, and I can't stress enough how much I want him in this role!

2. Tom Hardy

I personally would have never thought of the beefed up Bane Tom Hardy that we saw in The Dark Knight Rises as Agent 47, but then I saw the trailer for Legend. Tom Hardy has slimmed back down, yet not so much as to lose his look as a muscly action star. I could imagine perfectly fine the slimmed down Hardy with his head shaved like he was Bane again playing Hitman, and I don't think anyone would disagree with me. Tom is the perfect star vehicle for this movie, he's a currently hot A-lister, and this dude can act anything. Whether it be drama or action, Hardy can handle it, and I'm certain he could handle Hitman.

3. Ed Skrein

While Ed Skrein, who is no stranger to shaving his head for movie roles, is more of a rising star, I think he could be the perfect person to take up the role of Hitman. Come on, isn't Frank Martin basically the Hitman? This guy has proved that he can handle the job of taking over the role of a famous, bald, hitman, so why can't he do it again? He looks the part, he could certainly pull off the cold and serious demeanor of Agent 47, and I honestly think that he could improve on the character more than Rupert Friend or Timothy Olyphant did.

4. Jeffrey Donovan

If by any possibility you think that Jeffrey Donovan wouldn't make a good Hitman, watch even one episode of Burn Notice. His character really is basically Agent 47 with hair, it's kind of uncanny. I have no clue how he would look with his head shaved, but I can't deny this man's acting talent when it comes to a character like this. If he can pull off the look, then he would be the perfect Hitman.

5. Jake Gyllenhaal

While Jake Gyllenhaal doesn't have a good batting average when it comes to video game movies, you can't deny that he has what it takes to play Agent 47. He's one of the biggest A-listers in Hollywood right now, and has an excellent acting range. I think that he certainly has what it takes to play a cheekier Hitman like we saw with Olyphant, yet still have a cold and dark exterior. Besides, he certainly looks good with a shaved head, as we saw in Jarhead.

6. Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is great at playing characters like Agent 47 (i.e. Neo, John Wick, Johnny Mnemonic, pretty much every other character except Ted), and despite looking more like Dave Grohl nowadays instead of the seasoned action star he is, he's still got what it takes to play a badass Hitman. Besides his new John Wick style look, he hasn't aged a day! You can't tell me that every character Keanu Reeves has played isn't an audition tape for Hitman, because they're almost always the same blank and cold character. It's what he does best. With the star power of this 90's action badass behind the project, I'm certain that this movie would be good without fail. And I think that Keanu is due for a haircut and a shave anyways.

7. Brett Dalton

If you can't see Agent Ward as Agent 47, then I don't blame you, but I still ask for you to hear me out. In season one of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we see a hot-shot pretty boy agent kicking ass and taking names, and there's nothing wrong with seeing that kind of Hitman. However, in season two of the same show, we see an unhinged and borderline evil Agent Ward, and that's who I want to see. In every Hitman movie so far, they've tried to paint Agent 47 as the bad guy at first. So, what if he acted more like a villain? Brett Dalton can pull off the good guy/bad guy feel perfectly, and certainly has the ability to play dark and robotic-like characters! If he looks good bald and in the suit, then he could be great in the role! And as far as his fame goes, he's apart of a huge fandom, so he might bring more to the screen than you think.

8. Corey Stoll

Corey Stoll has started making a big name for himself doing House of Cards, Ant-Man, and The Strain, but he hasn't quite played a character like this one before. What does that mean to me? It means that he has a chance to put it on his resume. Stoll is seriously one of the best newer actors I've seen hit Hollywood in a while, and I think that playing a character like this could be a breeze to him. He already has his head shaved, and while he still doesn't look much like the character, his acting could make up for that. I know that I could ignore the looks if he put his skills into this role. How about you?

9. Wentworth Miller

Come on, this guy looks almost exactly like the Hitman. All he would have to do is shave his head the rest of the way and I would be convinced. The way he portrays Captain Cold is very Agent 47-esque, and he's one of the only people I've seen that truly looks like the character. He honestly has everything! And I know that I said the character should be played by someone really famous, but just like Dalton, Miller is apart of a huge fandom. Honestly, these guys would probably bring more people to the box office than some of the A-listers I put on this list, and the role would be in safer hands too.

10. Misha Collins

Yeah, I know, I'm dipping into the mother of all fandoms now. The point is though, I think that Agent 47 and Castiel share quite a few traits. So much so that they should be played by the same actor. They're both mostly cold and calculating, they don't understand most social conventions, and they both kick some serious ass. If Collins would look good with his head shaved, then I would be super on-board with this! But, I know what you're all thinking. Captain Cold and Agent Ward already have mostly shaved heads, but how can they work in Castiel having a shaved head in Supernatural? Well, face the facts guys, how long do you think Supernatural really has? And how long do you think it will be before they kill off Castiel? Hopefully by the time they get around to making another Hitman movie one of the two would have happened, and I'm going to catch so much crap for saying that. But anyways, yeah, Misha Collins as Agent 47 would be great.

Honorable Mentions: Jason Statham

Just, no. I thought about it, but no. He really just plays the same character in every movie, and I don't think that character is Agent 47. I know I said earlier that Frank Martin is basically the Hitman, but not quite. At least Ed Skrein has some sort of range. Statham doesn't. End of story.

Jim Caviezel

While I think that Caviezel could very well bring the action skills to Hitman, he acts too sorrowful in almost every role he's in. I don't want to see a sad-sack Agent 47. And honestly, if he would shave his head, I think he would look too strange for the role. Some people just can't pull off the look man.