Samuel L. Jackson's New Action Caper Is Almost The Hitman's Bodyguard 3

Image courtesy of MovieStillsDb Published Sep 26, 2026, 4:01 PM EDT Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. While Samuel L. Jackson’s latest action movie is not technically part of The Hitman’s Bodyguard franchise, its tone and style are similar enough to feel like an unofficial sequel. Released in 2017, The Hitman's Bodyguard stars Samuel L. Jackson as the hitman Daruis Kincaid, who is ferried to the International Criminal Court by Ryan Reynolds’s beleaguered bodyguard so he can testify against Gary Oldman’s villainous dictator Vladislav Dukhovich. Directed by Red Hill’s Patrick Hughes, The Hitman's Bodyguard earned an impressive $183 million on a budget of only $69 million. Despite earning middling reviews, the movie was a big enough hit to spawn a 2021 sequel, The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, starring a returning Jackson and Reynolds, Salma Hayek, and Richard E. Grant, alongside series newcomers Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo, and Antonio Banderas. Unlike its predecessor, The Hitman's Wife’s Bodyguard was an outright critical failure and a box office flop, barely earning $70 million on a budget of $70 million. As such, it is no surprise that the series has not yet earned a second sequel. However, director Martin Campbell’s recent release Just Play Dead still feels like an unofficial addition to the series, recapturing the balance of violent action, comedic banter, and fast-paced chases that defined the divisive appeal of The Hitman's Bodyguard and Hitman's Wife’s Bodyguard. Just Play Dead stars Jackson and Casino Royale’s Eva Green, alongside Money Heist's María Pedraza and The Hole in the Ground’s Eoin Macken. Just Play Dead Feels A Lot Like "The Hitman's Wife Wants A Divorce” Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson in The Hitman's Bodyguard Just Play Dead sees Jackson play the rich criminal kingpin Jack Wolfe, who plans to fake his own death to evade the authorities while cashing in on his lucrative life insurance policy. When Wolfe asks his wife, Green’s femme fatale Nora, to help him with this plan, his spouse thinks all her dreams have come true. Secretly resentful of Jack, Nora plans to turn Jack’s fake murder into a real killing, blame it on her lover, and run off with the massive insurance payout herself. Much to Nora’s chagrin, Jack turns out to have predicted her plan, and his entire plan to fake his death was a double bluff. This sets in motion a convoluted series of chases, gun battles, and fist fights as Just Play Dead offers a villainous spin on husband and wife spy capers like Mr. & Mrs. Smith or Prime Video’s Citadel. While Campbell previously directed Green in 2006’s James Bond franchise outing Casino Royale, Just Play Dead is far closer in tone to an R-rated spin on his earlier, campier 007 movie, 1995’s GoldenEye. Which Samuel L. Jackson Movie Is Better: The Hitman's Bodyguard Or Just Play Dead? However, if there is one movie that Just Play Dead truly feels like, it is The Hitman's Bodyguard. Both movies are clearly inspired by the action-packed R-rated comedic thrillers of the ‘80s and ‘90s, mining the likes of Midnight Run, the Lethal Weapon movies, Stone Cold, Action Jackson, the 48 Hrs. series, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, and Tango & Cash for inspiration. One look at this rundown of influences, however, makes it pretty clear that The Hitman's Bodyguard is a stronger effort than Just Play Dead. While Campbell made Catherine Zeta-Jones a star with The Mask of Zorro, even his bonafides as a Hollywood action director can’t wash out the nasty taste left behind by Just Play Dead. The central battle between husband and wife leaves viewers with no one to root for, resulting in a movie that is as cynical and grim as it is bloody and brutal. In contrast, while there is plenty of surprisingly nasty violence in The Hitman’s Bodyguard, its buddy comedy setup means the movie recaptures the goofy, over-the-top feel of the ultra-violent ‘80s movies that inspired its story. Reynolds and Jackson have enough chemistry to carry The Hitman’s Bodyguard where, in contrast, Just Play Dead just feels mean-spirited. Release Date August 28, 2026 Runtime 96 Minutes Director Martin Campbell Writers Dan Gordon Producers Gaby Whyte Hart, Moshe Diamant, Phil Hunt, Sagiv Diamant, Valentin Dimitrov