Wanted (2008 film)
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Timur Bekmambetov |
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| Screenplay by | |
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Wanted by Mark Millar J. G. Jones |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Danny Elfman |
| Cinematography | Mitchell Amundsen |
| Edited by | David Brenner |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $75 million |
| Box office | $341.4 million |
Wanted is a 2008 American-German action thriller film loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones. The film, written by Chris Morgan, Michael Brandt, and Derek Haas and directed by Timur Bekmambetov stars James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie. The storyline follows Wesley Gibson (McAvoy), a frustrated account manager who discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin and decides to join the Fraternity, a secret society in which his father worked.
Universal Studios acquired the adaptation rights from Millar in 2004, and while the eventual script drifted from the comic book supervillain mythos in the original miniseries, Millar was content to see most of the comic's darker content was retained. Production began in April 2007, with filming in the Czech Republic, Budapest, and the story's main setting, Chicago. Wanted was released in June 2008 to both critical and commercial success, with box office earnings of $341 million worldwide and reviews praising the fast pacing and stylized action scenes. A sequel was planned the same year as the film's release, but ultimately stalled in the development phase.
In Chicago, 24-year-old Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) works at a dead-end desk job with an overbearing boss, takes anti-anxiety medication for panic attacks, and has an unfaithful live-in girlfriend who cheats on him with his friend and colleague, Barry (Chris Pratt). One night at the pharmacy, Wesley is told by a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie) that his recently murdered father was an assassin, and the killer, a man named Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), is now hunting him. Cross and Fox engage in a shoot-out with hi-tech guns. Wesley panics and runs into the parking lot followed by Cross who steals a truck and attempts to run Wesley down. Fox flips Wesley into her car and then calmly executes a spectacular escape.
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