‘Agent 47' News Update: Paul Walker Replacement Rupert Friend First Images Released, Five Things to Know About the ‘Homeland’ Actor
After the tragic death of Paul Walker, Rupert Friend who is known for his role in "Homeland" as Peter Quinn stepped in to replace him as the lead role in the upcoming movie "Agent 47." The all-new "Hitman" franchise is currently filming in Europe and new photos from the "Agent 47" were released with Rupert Friend on the set.
Directed by Aleksander Bach, "Agent 47" is Bach's directorial debut and the filming is reportedly to take place in Berlin and Singapore. Zachary Quinto and Hannah Ware joined Friend in the video game franchise and set to be released next year.
Timothy Olyphant was the man behind the first franchise of "Hitman" in 2007 and he plays the barcoded Agent 47. Now played by Rupert Friend, Agent 47 is an elite cloned, bald hitman-for-hire whose strengths came from his method of operation and his stealth-based strategy.
Here are the five things there is to know about Rupert Friend, the new Agent 47.
1. Quinn joined the powerful cast of "Homeland" as a recurring character and became a full-time cast member in the show's third season. Thanks for his powerful performance as Peter Quinn, Friend earned a handful of award nominations including the recent 2013 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
2. An English actor, writer and director, Friend is also known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice" and Prince Albert in the 2009 film "The Young Victoria."
3. The British hunk dated Keira Knightley from 2005 to December 2010, his co-star in the movie "Pride and Prejudice."
4. He grew up in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire with his mother Caroline and father David Oxton Friend. He trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London and calls himself a late bloomer. He was just about to set off sailing around the world when got accepted into drama school, while the rest of his classmates had grown up singing and dancing and he was just starting.
5. He was named "outstanding new talent" at the 2005 Satellite Awards after playing opposite Johnny Depp in the movie "The Libertine."