Homeland star to take over videogame adaptation after death of Fast and Furious actor, while James Marsden to take The Best of Me lead

The unexpected death of actor Paul Walker ina high-speed road accident has left film producers scrambling to recast movies that the Fast and Furious star had planned to take on.

According to the Wrap, Homeland star Rupert Friend is set to step into the lead role of Agent 47, which Walker was due to act in straight after finishing Fast and Furious 7. Agent 47 is a remake of the successful 2007 film Hitman, starring Timothy Olyphant, which was itself based on a popular videogame of the same title. Though clearly a good fit for Walker, the role of a lethal assassin would appear to be more of a stretch for Friend, who is better known for his work in period films such as Pride & Prejudice and The Libertine, and indie projects such as David Mackenzie's Starred Up. However, his role as a CIA agent on award-winning US TV show Homeland means he is now in a position to be taken seriously in action movies.

Meanwhile, news site the Wrap reports that James Marsden has been offered the lead role in The Best of Me, an adaptation of the novel by Nicholas Sparks about two high-school sweethearts who reunite when they return to their hometown 20 years on. Marsden, who recently played slimy newsreader Jack Lime in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, would appear opposite Source Code's Michelle Monaghan, who has already been cast by director Michael Hoffman.