Can Sly Stallone and Walter Hill Deliver Action Gold Together?

By now you may have heard about the Sylvester Stallone/Walter Hill team-up for a new action-thriller. If you haven’t, here’s the skinny: Hill is attached to direct the new film, which will be produced by Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment, IM Global and After Dark Films, and will star Stallone as a New Orleans hitman who works with a NYC cop (casting TBA) to bring down the killers of their respective partners.
The as-yet untitled film Headshot will be based on the Dynamite graphic novel “Bullet to the Head”, written by Matz (Killer) and illustrated by Colin Wilson (Star Wars Invasion). Here’s the publisher’s description of the novel: Two cops. Two killers. A political scandal. One beautiful corpse. And a city gripped with fear.
According to The Wrap, the project will begin production in Louisiana later this month and be distributed domestically by Warner Bros.
One’s first thought when one hears action-thriller + Sylvester Stallone is: Again? Really?
One’s second thought might be: With Walter Hill at the helm, could this also be crafted into an interesting character-driven piece that gives the action star more story to sink his teeth into?
Before you scoff at that notion, remember that F.I.S.T. — though long ago — showed what Stallone could do as an actor when under the helm of a truly top-notch director (in that case, Norman Jewison).
Hill, on the other hand, definitely knows a thing or two about drama—and for a long while now: Director and Consulting Producer on HBO’sDeadwood. Director and Writer of 48 Hours. Producer of Alien. Director ofThe Warriors. Producer and Story Writer of Aliens. Uncredited Second Assistant Director for Bullitt. Second Assistant Director of the original The Thomas Crown Affair (speaking of Norman Jewison).