Dave Bautista is a hitman who takes a contract out on himself in the stylish and violent The Killer's Game trailer (2024)

After waging war with House Atreides in Dune: Part Two, Dave Bautista trades his Harkonnen armor for something more discrete as he slips into the role of a hitman on borrowed time in The Killer’s Game trailer. Lionsgate shared the first trailer, poster, and images for the upcoming action comedy from director J.J. Perry. The promo features the former wrestler-turned-Hollywood superstar as an assassin with a dry wit fighting for his life after receiving a false diagnosis from his doctor. Thinking he’s suffering from a terminal illness and only has three months to live, Bautista’s hitman, Joe Flood, must survive an onslaught of savvy killers looking to collect his head.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Killer’s Game courtesy of Lionsgate:

In the new action-comedy THE KILLER’S GAME, when top hitman Joe Flood (Dave Bautista) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, he decides to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and win back the love of his life before it’s too late.

Director and stunt performer J.J. Perry (John Wick: Chapter 2, The Fate of the Furious, The Rundown) directs from a script by Rand Ravich and James Coyne based on Jay R. Bonansinga’s book.

Dave Bautista leads the cast alongside Sofia Boutella (Atomic Blonde, Hotel Artemis, Argylle), Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, White Chicks), Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4, Dayshift, Avengement), withPom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Thunder Force, Westworld), and Ben Kingsley (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Sexy Beast, Schindler’s List).

In The Killer’s Game trailer, Joe Flood believes his days are numbered and strikes a deal with a rival assassin to take him off the board. When Joe learns his doctor gave him the wrong diagnosis and he’s not dying of a terminal illness, Joe does everything he can to cancel the hit. Unfortunately for Joe, the people he’s hired are eager to put a hole in his head, and his plea to cancel the hit falls on deaf ears. As the situation escalates, Joe uses every trick in the book to defend himself and the woman he loves from taking a dirt nap. The trailer’s comedic tone fits well with Bautista’s knack for dry wit, and the over-the-top action looks to delight audiences with blood spatters, sliced throats, and giblets painting the town red. Let’s f*cking go!

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.