Timo Tjahjanto to Direct THE BURNOUT, an Action Comedy Described as THE BIG LEBOWSKI Meets JASON BOURNE

What happens when a former CIA agent trades international espionage for a laid-back life in Ibiza, only to get dragged back into the dangerous world he left behind? That's the idea behind The Burnout, a new action comedy from Miramax that has landed Timo Tjahjanto as its director.

According to Deadline, Tjahjanto has signed on to direct the film after wrapping up work on The Beekeeper 2 for the studio. The project is being described as The Big Lebowski meets Jason Bourne, which is a pretty wild combination that could make for a seriously entertaining action comedy.

The story follows a washed-up former CIA agent who's traded his dangerous career for a carefree existence in Ibiza. He's perfectly happy living the burnout lifestyle, but his peaceful retirement comes to an end when he's reluctantly pulled back into action.

Putting someone like that in the middle of a deadly espionage adventure could be a lot of fun, especially with Tjahjanto directing.

The story also has some similarities to the Nobody films starring Bob Odenkirk, particularly the idea of a seemingly ordinary guy being forced back into his violent past. Tjahjanto directed Nobody 2, so he's already got experience with this particular brand of action entertainment.

The screenplay was written by Tom O'Connor, with Hunter Toro currently handling revisions. Miramax VP of Film Production & Development Arianna D'Andrea brought the project to the studio.

Tjahjanto is a great choice for this kind of movie. The Indonesian filmmaker has built a reputation for delivering brutal, creative, and incredibly entertaining action sequences.

He first caught the attention of genre fans when he teamed up with Gareth Evans to direct the "Safe Haven" segment of V/H/S/2. He followed that with the absolutely insane Netflix action thriller The Night Comes for Us, a bloody tribute to 1980s Hong Kong action cinema that became Netflix's first Indonesian original film.

He also directed the horror movie May the Devil Take You, with both films premiering at Fantastic Fest. He's also currently working on an untitled Indonesian thriller for Netflix, so the filmmaker has plenty of projects keeping him busy.

The big question now is who will play the washed-up CIA agent. The right actor will make or break this movie. They need the perfect actor to slip into character as a lazy, carefree slacker, who also happens to be a highly trained killer who's still extremely good at his job.

Tjahjanto certainly knows how to deliver the action, and seeing him tackle a movie with a more comedic personality sounds like a fun change of pace.

Source: Deadline