Ragesh Dipu
Colin Firth, who won an Oscar for his role as Prince Albert in ‘The King’s Speech,’ is all set to star in a World War II story. Firth joins hands with ‘Shakespeare in Love’ director John Madden for ‘Operation Mincemeat,’ a “stranger than fiction” true story, reports Deadline. Set in 1943, the war drama follows two top-notch undercover agents Ewen Montagu, played by Firth, and Charles Cholmondeley through the death fields of continental Europe.
An invasion force of the Allies is stumbled upon the massive German firepower and entrenched Nazi defense. The soldiers are on the verge of a potential massacre and an all-out assault on Nazi-occupied Europe is under threat. Montagu and Cholmondeley devise an innovative disinformation strategy, to use a dead man as a secret agent!
‘Operation Mincemeat’ is directed by John Madden from a script by Michelle Ashford, who is known for ‘Masters Of Sex.’ The script is based on Ben Macintyre’s book of the same name. Firth reunited with the makers See-Saw Films after their much-celebrated first collaboration, ‘The King’s Speech.’ See-Saw Films produces the movie in association with Cohen Media Group and Archery Pictures. Charles S. Cohen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Kris Thykier produce ‘Operation Mincemeat’ while FilmNation Entertainment and Cross City Films launching international sales at Cannes.
“In the context of WWII narratives, the story of Operation Mincemeat is unique – a bizarre and seductive cinematic blend of high-level espionage and ingenious fiction, where the stakes could hardly be higher,” director John Madden is quoted as saying in a THR report. Madden’s ‘Shakespeare in Love’ won seven Oscars and his other credits include ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’ its sequel ‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’ ‘Mrs Brown,’ ‘Proof,’ ‘The Debt,’ and ‘Miss Sloane.’
“Michelle Ashford’s script fuses multiple strands and moods: tense, romantic, thrilling, unexpectedly funny, and endlessly surprising. It tells a richly human story of the soldiers we seldom see, who fight a different kind of war in shadows and deception, haunted by the knowledge that certainty and guarantee of success are nowhere to be found,” he added.
“John is the ideal director to bring Ben’s book and Michelle’s stunning adaptation to the screen. Colin is the perfect reimagining of Ewen Montagu a man of substance, swagger and sensitivity. We couldn’t be more excited to be bringing this extraordinary team together,” said See-Saw’s Canning and Sherman, reports THR. ‘Operation Mincemeat’ is due to enter pre-production by the end of 2019.
Based on the true story of Queen Elizabeth II’s father and his unlikely friendship with the unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue, ‘The King’s Speech’ received a total of twelve award nominations, including the Best Actor nomination for Firth, at the 83rd Academy Awards and won four.
