Keira Knightley is set to star in another spy story. Just months after signing on to topline a spy drama penned by Camilla Blackett (“Fresh Off the Boat”) comes word that the two-time Oscar nominee will play real-life whistle-blower Katharine Gun, who leaked top-secret information in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq Invasion, in “Official Secrets.” Sara and Greg Bernstein (“Trial and Error”) wrote the script and Gavin Hood (“Eye in the Sky”) will direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Based on Marcia and Thomas Mitchell’s 2008 book “The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion,” the film revisits the British secret service officer’s decision to make “a top-secret NSA memo exposing a joint U.S.-U.K. illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council” public, the source details. Matt Smith (“The Crown”) will co-star.
eOne is overseeing production and will finance along with Screen Yorkshire and Melissa Shiyu Zuo via her GS Media, as well as distribute the project in territories including Canada and the United Kingdom.
Knighley’s latest film, “Colette,” just premiered to strong reviews at Sundance. The drama sees her playing a best-selling author who published novels under her husband’s name. Her performance is already earning her Oscar buzz. She previously received nods for “Pride & Prejudice” and “The Imitation Game.”
Jennifer Lawrence, Blake Lively, and Daisy Ridley are just a few of the actresses starring in upcoming spy thrillers. There seems to be a real demand for the genre right now.
