Old Guy Cast, Director, Writer, Plot And More Details

What do you get when you combine Christoph Waltz, the director of "Con-Air," Gen Z tropes, and a heated crime plot? You get none other than the upcoming action comedy "Old Guy." Sure, it may not have the bells and whistles of some other major releases this year, but the film nevertheless presents plenty of promise as a title to watch out for.

As this year's Cannes Film Festival continues on, "Old Guy" joins several titles that are being picked up by distributors from the Cannes Market Place, with other notable films such as "May December," "Paddington in Peru," 'Robot Dreams" and "Across the River and Into the Trees" also getting selected. And it's no wonder why "Old Guy" is among this bunch. Given its unique, tense premise, stellar cast, and great talent behind the camera, the film has all the indications of a good time. While certain details on its release remain rather vague, Looper has spared you the trouble of hunting down all the details on your own with this neat and tidy rundown of all you need to know about "Old Guy."

As of now, no official release date for "Old Guy" has been announced. But thankfully, it appears that audiences won't have long to wait for the film's release if its current track is anything to go off of.

The film was announced early this year in January with Christoph Waltz and director Simon West attached to the project. Additionally, Highland Film Group and Dark Castle Entertainment took on the task of producing and co-financing the film, with Jib Polhemus, Martin Brennan, Hal Sadoff, and Norman Golightly acting as producers. Principal photography would take place not long after in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the spring, where Waltz was found dining at The Chubby Cherub Italian restaurant on Chichester Street. Filming would wrap not long after and on May 22, the film would land some major worldwide distribution after being picked up at Cannes Market. Some of these distributors include the United Kingdom's Vertigo Releasing and Luniere Ventures, Eastern Europe's Vertical Entertainment, Italy's Blue Swan Entertainment, Latin America's California Filmes, and France's SND Films.

In a world of seemingly endless action flicks, thrillers, and comedies, it's a must that "Old Guy" bring more to the table than a promising cast if it hopes to stand out. Thankfully, the premise seems to be taking the tried and true trope of a mismatched pair and giving it a solid enough spin to please as wide-reaching an audience as possible.

The film centers on the talented contract killer Danny Dolinski (Waltz), who learns that his employers will be pairing him up with the new kid on the block, Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a Gen Z assassin who shows plenty of promise. While working to take down a rival crime syndicate, they and Dolinski's love interest Anata (Lucy Liu) eventually uncover even greater secrets about their employers and use their different ways to take down the threat.

As can be expected from its seemingly simple title, "Old Guy" seems to be taking a playful jab at different generations while ultimately celebrating what each brings to the table. This, combined with some solid laughs, hard-hitting action, and high stakes, is bound to ensure that the film succeeds at being an entertaining time.

Bringing "Old Guy" to life is a stellar cast who, much like their respective characters, combine their unique generational experiences as performers to elevate the already rich comedic material. Christoph Waltz leads the show as aging hitman Danny Dolinski, who originally went by the name of Terry Eubanks when the film was announced.

Waltz became a household name following his two Oscar-winning performances under writer-director Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds" as Colonel Han Landa and "Django Unchained" as Dr. King Schultz. Since then, the Austrian-German actor has starred in such films as "Spectre," "Alita: Battle Angel," and "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio." Director Simon West expressed immense excitement about working with Waltz, telling Deadline, "I've wanted to work with Christoph Waltz for many years. He is one of the most versatile actors working today. I can't wait to see him create yet another unique and iconic character."

While the film was shooting in April, it was revealed that Lucy Liu, Cooper Hoffman, and Desmond Eastwood were also among the cast, portraying the characters Anata, Wihlborg, and Colton, respectively. Liu is well-known for her roles in such films as "Kill Bill Vol. 1," "Charlie's Angels" and her most recent appearance in the superhero blockbuster "Shazam! Fury of the Gods." Hoffman, son of the late Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, made a splash with his performance in 2021's "Licorice Pizza." Eastwood is perhaps best known for his role in the 2020 BBC miniseries "Normal People."

As "Old Guy" is set to be an action film, it's more than necessary that the film's director be experienced in this realm. Thankfully, director Simon West is more than a little familiar with this territory.

After directing music videos throughout the late '80s and early '90s — including the music video for the Rick Astley Internet classic "Never Gonna Give You Up" — West took his first step into directing feature films with 1997's "Con Air" starring Nicolas Cage. Not only did the film gross well over $220 million worldwide and garner two Oscar nominations, but it also allowed West to take on increasingly ambitious projects. Following the 1999 John Travolta box office hit "The General's Daughter," the director pressed start on his next cinematic venture, 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." Starring Angelina Jolie as the titular video game heroine, "Tomb Raider" failed to impress critics. However, it was another box office success, grossing nearly $275 million worldwide and followed by the less successful Jan de Bont-directed "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life."

With the exception of his 2006 horror remake of "When a Stranger Calls," all of West's films from 2012's "The Expendables 2" to 2019's "Skyfire" have all been action flicks. Along with "Old Guy," West is also slated to direct the biopic "Quillen," the action comedy "Bride Hard," and the horror film "The Manour."

The screenplay for "Old Guy" was written by Greg Johnson. Johnson's filmography is not especially vast, with his only writing credit being on the 2021 action crime film "The Last Son," starring Sam Worthington and Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly). The screenplay for "The Last Son" was featured on the 2010 The Black List for Best Unproduced Screenplays. 

On the producing side, "Old Guy" will see Highland Film Group and Dark Castle Entertainment take on the task as production companies. The producing team at Highland includes Martin Brennan, Hal Sadoff, and Jib Polhemus, the latter of whom previously worked with director Simon West on "The Expendables 2," while "Ghost Rider" producer Norman Golightly will be working under Dark Castle. Additionally, Petr Jákl will be producing under West and R.U. Robot Studio, who are also executive producing the film with Martin J. Barab, Jared Underwood at Aperture Media Partners, and Walter Josten at Blue Radar Pictures.