Mads Mikkelsen and Armie Hammer Set to Star in a Cold War Thriller Titled THE BILLION DOLLAR SPY
Mads Mikkelsen (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Hannibal) and Armie Hammer (The Social Network, Rebecca) are set to star in a Cold War thriller titled The Billion Dollar Spy for writer and director Amma Asante (Belle).
The film is based on the true story of how a Soviet engineer and his CIA handler risked their lives to help bring an end to the Cold War. The movie is being developed and produced by Walden Media and producer Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind).
The film’s official synopsis reads:
Brad Reid (Hammer) is a fresh arrival at the Moscow station of the CIA when he’s approached by Soviet engineer Adolf Tolkachev (Mikkelsen). Ignoring the advice from his bosses that Tolkachev is an obvious KGB ‘dangle’, Reid develops a bond and unique friendship with the Russian, who seemingly only wants to help his family escape the corruption within the Soviet Union. Reid’s faith in Tolkachev is rewarded when he hands over a treasure trove of military secrets, obtained using classic Cold War spy craft. It earns Tolkachev the nickname ‘The Billion Dollar Spy’ and alters the balance of power between East and West. But their success in evading the KGB comes at great personal cost to both men, and their marriages to wives Tina and Natasha, all struggling with the daily paranoia of being caught. Then one day a shocking betrayal puts them all in grave danger…
The Cold War story was researched and written by Pulitzer prize-winning American journalist David E. Hoffman, drawing on previously classified CIA documents and interviews with first-hand participants. The script for the film was written by Benjamin August (Class Rank).
The film is scheduled to go into production 2021 in Eastern Europe.
Source: Deadline