Samuel L. Jackson Joins Teenage Assassin Comedy Barely Lethal

Nick Fury in Iron Man End Credits Scene
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Samuel L. Jackson's most popular role nowadays is his regularly-recurring part as Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but now it appears that he is ready to take on a much different kind of hero. Variety is reporting that the hard-working actor is now in final negotiations to star in Barely Lethal, a new action comedy has True Grit star and Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld attached to play a teenage assassin.

The film is being directed by Kyle Newman (Fanboys) and is based on an original script by newcomer John D'Arco. Steinfeld will play the hero of the film, a 16-year-old assassin who decides that she no longer wants to live the international contract killer lifestyle and instead become a normal teen. To do so she fakes her death, but quickly finds trouble in the world of high school. Unfortunately the trade doesn't say what part Jackson will have in the story or when the movie is planning to to go into production.

Jackson was last seen in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained at the end of last year, but has plenty of upcoming projects in the works. He will next be heard in DreamWorks Animation's super-powered snail family feature Turbo, and also has roles in Spike Lee's Oldboy, and the upcoming Robocop reboot coming up both this year and in 2014. He is currently filming Captain America: The Winter Soldier with Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson, in which he will once again return as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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