Written by Stephen Schiff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz, the film was based on Vince Flynn's 2010 novel of the same name.

The story is centered on young CIA black ops recruit Mitch Rapp, who helps a Cold War veteran try to stop the detonation of a rogue nuclear weapon.

Moments after Katrina accepts Mitch's proposal of marriage, a jihadist cell lands on the beach and begins to attack the civilians with rifles.

In a CIA facility, Rapp undergoes 30 days of debriefing before being offered a chance by CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy to join a black operations unit code-named Orion, led by Stan Hurley, a former Navy SEAL and a Cold War veteran who trains Rapp and the other potential recruits.

In Virginia, Hurley sees news reports and tentatively identifies the perpetrator as a former Orion operative believed to have been killed in action and now going by the codename "Ghost".

[6] Consent to Kill was scheduled to be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Nick Wechsler; the screenplay was written by Jonathan Lemkin.

Antoine Fuqua was originally attached to direct,[7] with names being rumored to play Mitch Rapp including Gerard Butler, Colin Farrell and Matthew Fox.

"[15] Bruce Willis was in talks to star as Stan Hurley in September 2012,[16] but Michael Keaton was cast as Rapp's mentor on March 9, 2016.

"[19] Principal photography took place between September and December 2016 in London, Rome and Phuket,[20][21] with additional filming in Valletta[22] Barry (Wales) and Birmingham.

[3] In North America, the film was released alongside Mother!, and was projected to gross $12–14 million from 3,154 theaters in its opening weekend.

The website's consensus reads: "American Assassin hits a few easy targets, but without enough style or wit to truly bring its characters to life—or stand out in a crowded field of more compelling spy thrillers.

"[38] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote "American Assassin is a serviceable, workman-like thriller that makes the familiar as involving as it's going to get.

"[39] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone commended the film, saying "Gorgeously shot by Enrique Chediak, American Assassin may be too slick for its own good, but O'Brien cuts deep enough to make you root for a Rapp franchise.

"[40] Seitz especially praised Michael Keaton's performance as a Cold War veteran, stating that he was the only actor to have built "an emotionally cohesive, memorable character" despite "material that too often mistakes exposition for psychology.

"[36] Jamie Righetti of Indiewire concluded that while the film presents a "predictable" script and the "bare minimum of fast action and ass-kicking mandated by [its] formula," paired with "O'Brien's charm and an unquestionably tantalizing ending, it's possible that audiences haven't seen the last of Mitch Rapp.