CBS Films has acquired US rights from Millennium Films to The Mechanic starring Jason Statham and directed Simon West.

The company is eyeing a spring 2011 release date on the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson thriller.

Statham, who stars in Millennium Films’ The Expendables that opens via Lionsgate this week, plays a hitman who teaches the dark arts to an apprentice with a connection to one of his victims. Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland also star.

Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff, David Winkler and William Chartoff produced and Richard Wenk and Lewis John Carlino wrote the screenplay.

“We look forward to working with the CBS Films team on releasing this movie,” Winkler and Chartoff, who also produced the original film, said. “CBS Films possesses a refreshing, constructive energy and we are excited with their game plan to bring this exhilarating film to audiences.”  

“We are very proud of The Mechanic and could not be more pleased to be working with CBS Films on this release,” Millennium Films’ Avi Lerner said.

CBS Films president and CEO Amy Baer called The Mechanic a “strong, intelligent action thriller.”

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