‘The Bricklayer’: Aaron Eckhart-led Action Flick Sets U.S. Release Window!!

Vertical has set its American release window for the upcoming action thriller film The Bricklayer starring Aaron Eckhart and Nina Dobrev. While an exact release date has not been set, the Renny Harlin-directed film will receive a day-and-date release in the United States in early 2024, according to a report from Deadline. It had previously been aiming to drop sometime earlier this year.

The Bricklayer will be an adaptation of the 2010 book of the same name by former FBI agent Noah Boyd. The film will follow a rogue insurgent blackmailing the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and making it appear the agency is responsible, according to a synopsis. As other nations begin turning against the U.S., the CIA must lure Steve Vail (Eckhart) — their most brilliant and rebellious operative — out of retirement. Using his various skills, Vail is tasked with helping clear the agency’s name, forcing him to confront his checkered past while unraveling an international conspiracy. In addition to Eckhart and Dobrev, The Bricklayer also stars Clifton Collins Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, and Ilfenesh Hadera.

Renny Harlin is Well Known for Action Flicks

The film is a return to type for Harlin, who has directed numerous 1990s action classics such as Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, and Deep Blue Sea. The director will also helm the upcoming trilogy of sequel films in The Strangers horror universe. The trio of standalone sequels are all set to come out in 2024, along with The Bricklayer, so Harlin is clearly set to have a busy year. Eckhart is also not a stranger to action films, having previously played an American president in peril in both Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. He also portrayed an alien-fighting U.S. soldier in Battle: Los Angeles, and among his most iconic roles is likely that of the villainous Two-Face in 2008’s The Dark Knight. Dobrev, meanwhile is best known for her roles on the television series The Vampire Diaries.

Harlin directed The Bricklayer from a script by Hannah Weg and Matt Johnson. The film comes from Millenium Media and is produced by Gerard Butler for his G-Base banner. Butler was originally supposed to star in Eckhart‘s role as far back as 2011 but was eventually replaced. Butler produces alongside Jeffrey Greenstein, Yariv Lerner, Jonathan Yunger, Heidi Jo Markel, and Robert Van Norden.