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Jesse Atlas directed and co-wrote Assassin, the new action sci-fi headlined by Bruce Willis, Nomzamo Mbatha and Andy Allo. CinemAddicts co-host Eric Holmes talked to Allo and Atlas about working with Willis and why “Assassin” is the perfect moniker for the story.
Assassin centers on Alexa (Nomzamo Mbatha), a woman whose husband (Mustafa Shakir) is killed on a secret mission. Futurist microchip technology enables Alexa’s mind to inhabit the body of other people to complete deadly missions. Bruce Willis is the head of the military operation, Dominic Purcell is the story’s antagonist, and Andy Allo is a painter whoe body Alexa inhabits.
The movie is based on Jesse Atlas’ 2017 short Let Them Die Like Lovers, and Holmes asked Atlas why he did not keep that title for his debut feature. Allo dived in first with a quick response.
“There was a discussion, and I didn’t like it,” said Allo. “And I said, ‘we need to do better (laughs).’ It was a democratic decision. Assassin was just in your face and that’s what we wanted. Let Them Die Like Lovers – we’re not trying to do that. So that’s my take.”
“Andy is totally correct,” added Atlas. “Thankfully I surround myself with people I love and respect and enjoy collaborating with. I got a little too attached with a title that was too arty, too long, and would not translate well into other languages. At the end of they day, they were right.”
Check out the full interview with Allo and Atlas below, as they talk about working with Bruce Willis and reflect on movies they love!
Our latest CinemAddicts Episode features reviews of The Naked Kiss, Enys Men and Smoking Causes Coughing:
Assassin is now in theaters and is available On Demand and Digital. You can rent/purchase Assassin using this Amazon link to support our site (we receive a commission as Associates members).
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