Martin Freeman in the political thriller about a British whistleblower who goes to the press with damaging information about the NSA in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

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They’ll star opposite Natalie Dormer, Paul Bettany and Martin Freeman in the political thriller about a British whistleblower who goes to the press with damaging information about the NSA in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Harrison Ford and Anthony Hopkins are attached to star opposite Natalie Dormer, Paul Bettany and Martin Freeman in Official Secrets. The film is about the young British intelligence officer who became famous when leaking information to the press, alleging that the NSA was engaging in illegal activities in order to pressure the U.N. Security Council to approve a resolution of war against Iraq in 2003.

The Solution Entertainment Group will introduce the project to foreign buyers at the upcoming European Film Market during the Berlin Film Festival.

Official Secrets is based on the book, The Spy Who Tried To Stop A War: Katharine Gun and The Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion.

In the lead up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Katharine Gun (Dormer), a young British intelligence officer, was arrested after leaking the classified information to Martin Bright (Bettany), a reporter at The London Observer. Her arrest made headlines around the world. In film, Bright goes to great lengths to free Gun, only to find that both their lives are in jeopardy. Freeman plays The Observer’s foreign affairs editor, while Hopkins plays a retired U.K. general and Ford, a C.I.A. agent.

Justin Chadwick will direct from an adapted script by Sara and Gregory Bernstein. His previous directing credits include Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and The Other Boleyn Girl.

The Solution Group is financing the film and representing international rights; UTA Independent Film Group packaged the project and reps domestic rights.

The film is slated to begin principal photography in May 2016 in the U.K.(x)