American Assassin has been stuck in development hell for quite a while now, but it looks like the adventures of CIA super-agent Mitch Rapp will finally be getting the go ahead, as the project now has a director in the form of  Jeffrey “Love and other drugs” Nachmanoff, replacing Ed Zwick.

Based on the eleventh book written by Vince Flynn, American Assassin will focus on the origin and first exploits of its hero, a college student who had the world at his feet, until a tragic accident saw him shift gears and become the most dedicated terrorist hunter that the CIA had ever recruited.

While it’s unclear as to who will play the role of central character Mitch Rapp, actors such as Matthew Fox, Gerard Butler and Colin Farrell had been considered previously, but now, a younger actor is understandably wanted and needed for the project.

This isn’t the first time that Nachmanoff has been involved in a film about spies and killers, as the director was previously responsible for co-writing and helming Traitor, which also had several similar themes present.