Michelle Rodriguez’s next role on the big screen is nothing if not unusual. The actress will reunite with her Avatar costar Sigourney Weaver for upcoming action thriller Tomboy, A Revenger’s Tale, as a hitwoman who was formerly a hitman, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the flick, Rodriguez, 37, will play an assassin who is double-crossed by gangsters and finds herself under the scalpel of a rogue surgeon known as “The Doctor,” who turns him into a woman. Rodriguez’s character then seeks revenge on the gang.
Weaver, 66, will play the doctor.
Tomboy was written and will be directed by Walter Hill, who is known for helming tough-guy action flicks such as The Warriors and 48 Hours. Hill also produced the Alien films, which Weaver starred in. The screenplay will be based on a story by novelist Denis Hamill.
Earlier this year, Rodriguez opened up to NJ.com about being “picky” about the parts that she chooses to play.
“I can’t be the slut,” she said at the time. “I cannot be just the girlfriend. I can’t be the girl who gets empowered because she’s been raped. I can’t be the girl who gets empowered and then dies.”
Instead, the Fast and Furious veteran explained, she is willing to work hard to carve a niche out for herself.
“I just said to myself, look, ‘You’re going to just have to create your own archetype, doesn’t matter if you go broke doing it,’” she said. “And I almost did go broke, twice! But people finally got it: ‘Okay, Michelle is not malleable, you’re not going to influence her by shining fame and money at her,’ and they stopped offering me that sort of stuff.”
“But you know, it’s a Catch-22,” she continued. “It’s helped me and it’s screwed me. I’ve stuck to my guns and I’m proud and people get it. But I also haven’t carried a movie since Girlfight.”
Rodriguez is known for playing tough-girl roles in films such as Machete, Resident Evil, and Blacktino.
Tomboy will begin filming in Vancouver on Nov. 9.
