According to a Production Weekly tweet, Clive Owen in stepping into Paul Walker’s shoes in the thriller, Protection, from District 13: Ultimatum director, Patrick Alessandrin. The project has been around for a while (it was announced last year at Cannes) and sees a disgraced former Special Forces soldier taking on Mexican gangs in order to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a judge.
However back then it was Simon West directing and Paul Walker starring, so it seems it’s all change on the film
Although Protection sounds like something that Arnie would have made in the 1980s (in fact it is something Arnie made in the 1980s, over and over again), someone must think it’s still worth turning into a movie. As for Owen, Shoot ‘Em Up showed he’s not averse to ridiculously over the top action spectacles, which this film promises to be.
While many have suggested Owen and Alessandrin are a step up from Walker and West, it really depends on the tone of the film, as to be honest, the latter pairing might be more fun if it’s just going to be silly, and despite District 13: Ultimatum, Alessandrin is a bit of an unknown quantity.
There’s no news yet on when filming might begin.