After scoring supporting roles in such memorable late '90s movies as Pleaseantville, Varsity Blues and She's All That, Paul Walker seemed poised for stardom with The Fast and the Furious. But while we're eagerly waiting the sixth entry in that high-octane action series, Walker is hardly the reason. Despite the Fast and Furious franchise's success worldwide, Walker hasn't arisen as a star independent of them. But 2013 could prove a turning point. Prepare for the second coming of Paul Walker.
Aside from Fast & Furious 6, Walker is also slated to hit the big screen in the recently wrapped action-comedy Pawn Shop Chronicles, as well as two other upcoming thrillers, Vehicle 19, and Hours. Now, Deadline reports Walker has just signed on to topline Luc Besson's Brick Mansions.
Based on the Parkour-packed urban warfare action-thriller District B13 (known as Banlieue 13 in its native France), Brick Mansions will center on an undercover cop who is on the search for a weapon of mass destruction hidden in a dangerous ghetto known as Brick Mansions. Believing this powerful bomb is in the hands of a drug dealer with hoards of vicious underlings, this cop teams with the street smart and insanely agile Lino to find the bomb, and save the day. Walker will play the detective, while Parkour master David Belle will portray Lino, essentially reprising his role from the original movie.
Formerly set in France, the Americanized version will be relocated to the United States. Besson, who co-wrote District B13, will not direct Brick Mansions. However, he will produce under his EuropaCorp banner and did adapt the screenplay alongside Robert Mark Kamen, with whom he wrote the Liam Neeson thriller Taken. Helming this Americanized remake will be Taken 2 editor Camille Delamarre, who many count as a Besson protégé. This will be the sixth feature Delamarre and Besson have worked on together.
Relativity Media is very invested in Walker becoming a bankable star, since they are not only behind Brick Mansions, but also two of Walker's other upcoming vehicles, 6 and Hitman. After years of spinning his wheels, is this Fast and Furious star finally prepared to breakout? We'll find out before the year's out.
