Simon West‘s Old Guy, starring Christoph Waltz, Cooper Hoffman and Lucy Liu, will make its world premiere as the opening night film at this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival.

West and Waltz are expected to attend the screening on Oct. 17, kicking off the 25th edition of the Festival from Oct. 17-24. The Avenue will release Old Guy in the spring of 2025.

Waltz will receive the Icon Award at the screening in celebration of his storied career. He is a two-time Academy Award winner for his performances in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. His other credits include Big Eyes, The French Dispatch, Horrible Bosses 2, No Time To Die, Spectre, and Water for Elephants. His upcoming projects include Dracula: A Love Tale and Frankenstein.

“The Festival is thrilled to host the World Premiere of Simon West’s Old Guy as the Opening Night Film to kick off the 25th anniversary of the Newport Beach Film Festival,” said NBFF CEO and executive director Gregg Schwenk. “To have Christoph Waltz in attendance to honor his iconic career will truly create an unforgettable event for our audience. We are looking forward to announcing additional films and special events for our 25th edition in the coming weeks.”

Old Guy centers around aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Waltz), who still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck in a boring desk assignment while pining for the love of spunky club manager Anata (Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field, but is dismayed to learn he’s assigned to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with a bad attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate a competing crime syndicate but uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover. The Company didn’t anticipate that Danny’s experience coupled with the kid’s brilliance would create such an unlikely bond between the two. Along with Anata’s crucial help, the duo takes matters into their own hands to take down The Company and prove that age has no limits.

“The Festival is thrilled to host the World Premiere of Simon West’s Old Guy as the Opening Night Film to kick off the 25th anniversary of the Newport Beach Film Festival,” said NBFF CEO and executive director Gregg Schwenk. “To have Christoph Waltz in attendance to honor his iconic career will truly create an unforgettable event for our audience. We are looking forward to announcing additional films and special events for our 25th edition in the coming weeks.”

Old Guy centers around aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Waltz), who still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck in a boring desk assignment while pining for the love of spunky club manager Anata (Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field, but is dismayed to learn he’s assigned to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with a bad attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate a competing crime syndicate but uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover. The Company didn’t anticipate that Danny’s experience coupled with the kid’s brilliance would create such an unlikely bond between the two. Along with Anata’s crucial help, the duo takes matters into their own hands to take down The Company and prove that age has no limits.

Directed by West (The Expendables 2, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), Old Guy is produced by Jib Polhemus (The Last Son, The Expendables 2), Martin Brennan (One Way, Zone 414), West, R.U. Robot Studio’s Petr Jákl (Medieval, The Last Full Measure) and Hal Sadoff (The Nice Guys, Orphan: First Kill). Norman Golightly (Lord of War, Ghost Rider) produced on behalf of Dark Castle Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, The Avenue’s JJ Caruth, R.U. Robot Studio’s Martin J. Barab, Blue Rider Pictures’ Walter Josten (Around the World in 80 Days, Holes) and Aperture Media Partners’ Jared Underwood, Andrew Robinson and Dan Mandel.

The Opening Night Gala will take place at Fashion Island and will feature live entertainment and culinary tastings from two dozen of Newport Beach’s top restaurants. Tickets to the film and gala, open to attendees 21 and over, are $225.

The full festival line-up will be announced on Sept. 17.

By Katcy Stephan, Variety