Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Sir John Hurt are about to begin work on a new spy thriller set in Syria.
Damascus Cover is based on the best-selling 1977 novel by Howard Kaplan and has been reset in 1989, centring on a veteran spy who is sent undercover in Syria to smuggle a chemical weapons scientist and his family out of Damascus.
The Tudors star and the rest of the cast are about to start shooting on location, with Casablanca in Morocco doubling for Damascus.
Jonathan said: “I’m enormously excited about this role. This was a hugely significant time in the conflict in the Middle East, post-cold war and with the collapse of the Berlin Wall when an amount of spies were redeployed to the Middle East, where the theatre of covert operations would now take precedence.
“With a highly thoughtful and intelligent script by Daniel Berk and Samantha Newton, I’m thrilled to be a part of this project and can’t wait to start shooting with a very gifted international cast and crew.”
The thriller will also star American actress Olivia Thirlby, Green Zone’s Igal Naor, The Da Vinci Code’s Jurgen Prochnow and Homeland’s Navid Negahban.
Juno star Olivia said: “I’m thrilled to be a part of Damascus Cover. It’s an honour to collaborate with and work alongside such a diverse and talented group of individuals on a project that looks closely at a fascinating time in history. I am extremely excited to begin the shoot.”
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