Saoirse Ronan, a cold blooded killer?

Joe Wright has his eye on Saoirse Ronan to star as the lead role in his next film, Hanna. And why not? The last time they teamed up - for Atonement - they won an Oscar, two BAFTAs and two Golden Globes, among a vast heap of other wins and high-profile nominations.

Ronan’s Hanna (we assume that’ll be her name) is a 14-year-old Eastern European girl, raised by her wanted ex-US military/CIA father to be a cold-blooded killing machine (she’s never watched TV or had sweets or been coddled in any way). It’s a complete reversal for Ronan whose last film, The Lovely Bones, saw her playing the ultimate victim - not only is she attacked and murdered, but she spends most of the narrative powerlessly overserving the events that occur after her death. The young actor is considered to be an impressive performer, so this non-stereotypical role could be very interesting.   

After being captured by 50 agents, Hanna and her father are sent to two different countries to be held prisoner. Hanna discovers her inner assassin and the father and daughter soon escape with plans to meet in Istanbul. During her travels, Hanna finds and befriends a family in Turkey, but hot on her heels is Marissa. Who is this woman and why is she so intent on capturing her?

Kick-Ass looks and sounds awesome. The main draw (for us, anyway) is Hit-Girl, the young, foul-mouthed female assassin. With the likely success of the film, there's no doubt that its individual elements will be picked over by analytical vultures in search of box office gold. By the way ideas are used and reused in Hollywood, my guess is that we’ll be sick of pubescent girls who can roundhouse you into oblivion by May. Still, it makes a nice change from the traditional role of teen girls in the action/adventure genre: the weeping kidnap victim who's wheeled out the the penultimate scene.

Seth Lochhead and David Farr wrote the script for Hanna, which has been doing the rounds since 2007. Leslie Holleran, Marty Adelstein and Scott Nemes are all producing. Shooting is slated to begin in Europe this year, so the film is likely to have a 2012 release.