Noomi Rapace, best known for her performances in Prometheus and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and Past Lives rising star Teo Yoo will lead the new espionage action thriller Stratagem.
Michael Idov, the novelist and filmmaker behind The Humorist and Jetlag, will direct Stratagem. Idov is joined by Lily Idov, with whom he previously collaborated on the German spy series Deutschland 89 and the Cannes title Leto, which also featured Yoo. Stratagem will be produced by Oscar-nominee David Lancaster (Whiplash, Nightcrawler, Drive) and Matt Leipzig (I See You, Joyland).
International rights to the film are held by Highland Film Group, while CAA Media Finance is representing the U.S. distribution.
Stratagem unfolds in the Swiss Alps, where an exclusive cybersecurity summit is taking place. CIA agent Stella Turner (Rapace) goes undercover to investigate the enigmatic tech prodigy Daniel Sim (Yoo) to prevent a catastrophic leak of U.S. defense secrets. Stella is tasked with charming and recruiting this brilliant figure, but Daniel proves to be a master manipulator with an agenda of his own. As events spiral, the line between ally and adversary begins to blur, and Stella finds herself in a web of psychological warfare and in a trap with global stakes.
The director Idov commented, “What begins as two people flirting in a bar becomes recruitment, rivalry, a hostage situation, a rescue, and finally world-altering romance — all in a matter of hours. And, in Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo, I have the best imaginable actors to bring these characters to life.”
The producers Lancaster and Leipzig said, “As soon as we read Idovs’ page-turning script for Stratagem, we knew we wanted to make this movie, so audiences around the world could share our excitement. Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo are the perfect artists to realize Michael Idov’s vision for an intense, sophisticated espionage thriller.”
Highland Film Group CEO Fraser added, “Stratagem is an incredibly cool, sleek, elevated and intense espionage thriller where nothing — and no one — are what they seem. It’s a taut, edge of your seat spy thriller full of twists and turns that ratchets up the tension scene by scene.”
And Highland Film Group company COO Delphine Perrier remarked, “Michael Idov has assembled a truly stellar cast led by Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo to bring his fresh take on a beloved genre to life. We are delighted to be working with producer David Lancaster who continues to be a guiding force behind some of today’s most innovative films — it’s the perfect addition to our Cannes slate.”
Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier for Highland Film Group, and Julie Kroll are the executive producers of Stratagem.
Source: Variety
