Schweiger to star in killer pic

SchweigerBERLIN -- German star Til Schweiger is taking a break from his trademark screwball comedies and getting deadly serious for his next pic, an action thriller about a professional hitman.Schweiger is writing, directing and producing "The Guardian," which has so far picked up Euros600,000 ($850,434) from the German Federal Film Fund (FFA).The multi-hyphenate will produce via his Berlin-based Barefoot Films. Paul Maurice is co-writing the script.Schweiger's last film, "Kokowaah," about a skirt-chasing writer whose life is turned upside down when a little girl shows up on his doorstep, earned some $43 million at the German box office this year, making it the most successful domestic pic of the year and a major hit for Warner Bros. Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com