Along with the screenings, the Cannes Film Festival is home to plenty yet-to-be filmed projects looking for distributors, the latest of which is the graphic novel adaptation The Coldest City with Charlize Theron (Prometheus) set to star. Focus Features has acquired the project’s North American distribution rights. The movie is set in 1989 Berlin, just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. When an MI6 agent is killed while in possession of a list with every spy from both sides, Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is sent to find the list to protect the British agents.
David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (John Wick) are directing the film, which was written by Kurt Johnstad (300). The duo worked as second-unit directors on the upcoming Jurassic World and last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Lionsgate recently announced that the pair will return to direct John Wick 2. Johnstad also wrote one of the scripts for Aquaman.
For Theron, it seems the actress is aiming to become the next big female action star, in the wake of Scarlett Johansson‘s (Avengers: Age of Ultron) surprise hit, Lucy. Theron, who has dabbled with action roles in the past with the likes of The Italian Job and Aeon Flux, will show off her chops again in Mad Max: Fury Road, which hits theaters next week. She’s currently filming The Huntsman and is providing her voice for the stop-motion animated film, Kubo and the Two Strings, which Focus is also distributing.
Focus has committed to a wide release for The Coldest City. It’s expected to start production soon, though no release date has been set.