First Look: Saoirse Ronan In Joe Wright's Hanna
USA Today has a first look at Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) as a 16-year-old killing machine in Joe Wright's Hanna. In the film, Saoirse plays the title character in Hanna, who has been "raised from childhood to be the perfect assassin by her ex-CIA man father (Eric Bana) in rural Finland." But this is NOT Hit-Girl. Wright is probably best known for his period dramas Atonement and Pride & Prejudice. Hanna is a different type of film: and action/adventure/thriller.
The film also stars Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (Robin Hood), Eric Bana (Star Trek), and Niels Arestrup (Un Prophète). The film's official plot synopsis follows:
Hanna (to be played by Ms. Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a solider; these come from being raised by her father (Mr. Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Sweden. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Ms. Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.
Seth Lochhead wrote the initial screenplay and has written subsequent drafts, as have David Farr, Joe Penhall, and Mr. Wright. Hanna is aiming for a 2011 release.