Premise: The Professional (original title: Le Professionnel; ] ) is a 1981 French action film directed by French director Georges Lautner, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Desailly and Robert Hossein, based on the award-winning 1976 novel "Death of a Thin-Skinned Animal" by Patrick Alexander.
Hypothesis:   The Professional was based on a winning novel that had a different title.