David Harbour Eyed for Kane & Lynch Movie, Inspired by Stranger Things, Thunderbolts

A grand, big-screen adaptation of the original Kane & Lynch game—developed by acclaimed studio IO Interactive, best known for the Hitman series—was long in the works. First released back in 2007, the gritty third-person shooter generated enough buzz over the years to spark Hollywood interest, with a number of high-profile actors linked to the project at various stages.

This week, filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto, director of The Night Comes for Us and co-director of Satanic Panic, revealed on social media that he had written a treatment for a potential Kane & Lynch film starring David Harbour—famed for his roles in Stranger Things and the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Red Guardian.

“Never seen a script, but a couple years ago when that property was still kind of hot,” Tjahjanto shared. “I wrote a short treatment with James Badge Dale and David Harbour in mind. Never gotten anywhere.”

The Kane & Lynch movie appears to be stuck in development hell. Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images.

While Tjahjanto’s vision never materialized, it turns out his wasn't the only attempt to bring the chaotic world of Kane and Lynch to life. Over the years, the film adaptation cycled through multiple iterations, each with its own set of A-list talent attached.

At one point, Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx were rumored to play the titular roles, though both eventually stepped away as the screenplay underwent numerous rewrites. Later, reports surfaced suggesting Gerard Butler and Vin Diesel were being considered for the lead roles, but once again, nothing came of it.

With the lukewarm reception of the 2010 sequel Kane & Lynch: Dog Days, interest in the franchise began to wane. Eventually, IO Interactive chose to step away from the series entirely, shifting its full creative focus back to the Hitman franchise—where the studio found renewed success and critical acclaim.

For now, it seems the fate of the Kane & Lynch movie remains sealed in development limbo, joining the ranks of other promising projects that never made it past the planning stages.