Vin Diesel Left A Bad Video Game Movie Only To Go Star In Another Flop

Throughout Hollywood history, stars have signed on and then swapped out projects for something else and only realized they made the right or wrong call when the box office numbers came in. Vin Diesel, for example, was originally down to play Agent 47 in “Hitman,” the film adapted from the popular video game franchise but turned it down. Most would say the “Fast and Furious” films dodged a bullet though, considering the movie received scathing reviews upon release and currently boasts a paltry 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even so, that’s pretty generous next to the even bigger dumpster fire he starred in the following year instead. 

Initially, Diesel was the top pick for the role of 47, the iconic assassin with a shaved head and a barcode on his neck who is employed by a mysterious organization. As one of the biggest box-office stars who was well-acquainted with action movies at the time, it seemed like a perfect match. Unfortunately, Diesel thought otherwise and left the project, making room for another film in his schedule — Mathieu Kassovitz’s “Babylon A.D.” The signs were there that Diesel made the right choice. He was climbing aboard a sci-fi movie directed by the same filmmaker known for the massively influential “La Haine.” However, audiences and critics decided it wasn’t enough, and “Babylon A.D.” was universally panned. Meanwhile, “Hitman” had hit its target and then some.

Even after Vin Diesel was replaced by Timothy Olyphant (whose name was still on the rise at that time thanks to roles in “Deadwood” and “Live Free or Die Hard”), “Hitman” didn’t seem to suffer much after its release. Bad reviews aside, the film raked in an impressive $101 million against a budget of just $24 million, largely thanks to an already-established fan base. “Babylon A.D.,” on the other hand, was a tougher sell and one that didn’t pay off. The critical reception mirrored its financial one, with the film earning a disappointing worldwide box office of $72 million against a budget of $70 million. It also earned a dismal Rotten Tomatoes score of only 7% making it the worst movie of Vin Diesel’s career, despite the relatively great reviews for its physical media release.

It wasn’t just the audience wanting to keep their distance from the film, either. Kassovitz was furious with the final result and publicly disowned the movie, which he described as “hell” to work on due to studio interference. As for “Hitman,” regardless of what ratings it received, there was enough interest to breathe new life into it with a reboot years later in “Hitman: Agent 47.” This time, Rupert Friend got 47’s number but the results weren’t quite as profitable. Admittedly, neither is considered one of the best video game movies ever made, but who knows? Perhaps if Diesel had stuck with shooting up the screen in a black suit and red tie, one of them could’ve been.