Netflix is reportedly turning Glen Powell's Hit Man into a series inspired by Richard Linklater's film

Glen Powell is frankly everywhere these days – you can barely open a cinema schedule without spotting his name. After popping up in Top Gun: Maverick, the surprise-hit romcom Anyone But You, and the disaster flick Twisters, he appears to have caught the Hollywood bug in a major way. Not content with just one lead at a time, he’s apparently juggling four different projects as we speak.

Now, word is we’re about to see even more of Powell: Netflix is reportedly looking to adapt his recent comedy-thriller, Hit Man, into an actual series – with Powell himself front and centre (again). This isn’t just fan gossip, either; it’s coming from Deadline, who tend not to stick their necks out unless they’re confident. Officially, Netflix are still keeping quiet, but the sources seem solid enough.

Who’s actually making this thing?

If you haven’t caught Hit Man yet, Powell played Gary Johnson – a mild-mannered university academic who, by day, teaches philosophy, but under the radar moonlights as a fake assassin for the local police (the idea being to catch out anyone daft enough to try hiring a contract killer). The charm of the film was watching Powell in various outlandish get-ups, conning his way through some fairly questionable situations, and, of course, getting tangled up with a mystery woman he probably shouldn’t fall for.

• Powell will return as Gary Johnson (obviously), and will also executive produce
• Stephen Falk – best known for creating You’re the Worst – is writing the series
• Richard Linklater, who co-wrote and directed the original film, isn’t announced for the series itself
• Production’s in the hands of AGC Television and Powell’s own Barnstorm Productions

And yes, the plan is for the show to keep the vibe and set-up of the film: disguises, fake hits, double lives, and that same mix of daft caper and crime. Details are mostly still hush-hush, but it sounds very much like an expansion, not a reboot or total reimagining.

Just how big was Hit Man for Netflix?

Now, you could say Netflix took a bit of a punt snapping up Hit Man for a reported $20 million. But given the streaming numbers, I reckon they’ll be feeling pretty smug about it. When the film landed, it immediately shot to number one globally – sticking in that top spot for a solid ten days straight.

To put numbers on it: analytics firm Luminate says the film racked up 1.5 billion minutes watched in its first week, which translates to 12.6 million complete viewings. Considering how completely bonkers that level of attention is for something that only cost what one Marvel cameo might, it’s fair to call it a win.

A word (or three) from the critics

Our own editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, raved about Hit Man when he covered it at a film festival:

'It’s one of the most crowd-pleasing films I’ve seen at a film festival this year. Powell could even emerge as a dark-horse Oscar contender, though the movie might ultimately be too light to win over the Academy. Whatever the case, it seems like a surefire hit – whether in theaters or on streaming. I have a feeling this may wind up one of Netflix’s most popular movies ever.'

That prediction looks spot on, at least going by Netflix’s data.

For now, the question is whether the series can keep the same oddball energy as the film, especially with streaming’s appetite for crime comedy seemingly as insatiable as ever.