Charlize Theron will rep the CIA in her newest project. The Oscar-winning actress is set to star in and produce Universal’s adaptation of Karen Cleveland’s upcoming spy novel “Need to Know,” The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The manuscript centers on a CIA analyst who finds herself in an unexpected and dangerous situation — even by spy standards. “While digitally searching files in hopes of unmasking a Russian sleeper cell in the U.S., she makes a shocking discovery that threatens her job, her family, and her life,” THR summarizes.
While the plot details make it sound as though the CIA may play a sketchy role in the protagonist’s crisis, Cleveland herself has worked as an analyst for the agency for several years, so “Need to Know” presumably paints the foreign intelligence service in a mostly favorable light. We’ll have to wait to find out.
Joining Theron as producers are Beth Kono and AJ Dix, with Universal’s Kristen Lowe overseeing the project.
A screenwriter and director have yet to be announced.
It seems that Theron is a fan of the genre: She plays a super spy in Focus Features’ “The Coldest City,” currently in post-production. Theron’s recent credits include “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Dark Places.”
Two other female-led spy stories on our radar are “A Woman of No Importance,” starring “Star Wars: The Force Awakens’” Daisy Ridley, and Gurinder Chadha’s “Song for a Spy.”
