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‘Chasing Agent Freegard’: Gemma Arterton, Shazad Latif Join James Norton Thriller (EXCLUSIVE)

Naman Ramachandran
·2-min read

Gemma Arterton (“Black Narcissus”) and Shazad Latif (“Star Trek: Discovery”) will join James Norton (“McMafia”) in the thriller “Chasing Agent Freegard.”

“Chasing Agent Freegard” is based on the story of British conman Robert Hendy-Freegard, who masqueraded as an MI5 agent and fooled several people into going underground for fear of assassination by the IRA.

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Arterton’s reps at CAA confirmed her casting to Variety.

The project is written by “The Mauritanian” writer and co-producer Michael Bronner, who also co-produced “Captain Phillips.” The film will be helmed by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, the duo who directed the hit BBC drama “The Salisbury Poisonings,” about the 2018 poisoning of a Russian agent and his daughter in Salisbury, U.K.

“Little Women” star Norton, who most recently appeared in Netflix chiller “Things Heard & Seen” and series “The Nevers,” will play Freegard and is also executive producing via his Rabbit Track Pictures outfit.

The film is part of a partnership between Great Point Media and The Development Partnership. Bronner, Rabbit Track’s Kitty Kaletsky and The Development Partnership’s Robert Taylor are producing.

Arterton will be seen in the film “The King’s Man,” which is out later this year, and is also voicing a character in “The Amazing Maurice.” She appeared last year in the Amanda Coe-written “Black Narcissus” adaptation for the BBC.

Latif currently stars in BBC series “The Pursuit of Love,” an adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel by Emily Mortimer, starring Lily James and Dominic West. Along with James, Rob Brydon and Shabana Azmi, Latif is also one of the leads in Shekhar Kapur’s upcoming cross-cultural comedy “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” written and co-produced by Jemima Khan (“The Clinton Affair”).

“Profile,” starring Latif and Valene Kane (“Gangs of London”), will be released theatrically in the U.S. by Focus Features on May 14.

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