Summit hires screenwriters for Red 3

Despite the fact that the action-comedy sequel Red 2 doesn't hit cinemas until July, Summit Entertainment must be confident that it has another hit on its hands, with Deadline revealing that the studio has hired screenwriting siblings Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (whose credits include Red and Red 2, along with the 2009 thriller Whiteout and last year's Hasbro board game adaptation-turned-alien actioner Battleship) to pen the script for Red 3.

The Red franchise is based upon the comic book series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hammer and centres on a trio of 'Retired, Extremely Dangerous' ex black-ops agents, portrayed by Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich. The forthcoming sequel sees Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest) taking over directing duties from Red helmer Robert Schwentke, while Mary-Louise Parker returns to the cast alongside new additions Byung-hun Lee (G.I. Joe: Retaliation), Anthony Hopkins (Thor: The Dark World), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Side Effects).

Red 2 is set for a North American release on July 19th and opens in the UK on August 2nd.