Noir thriller, Magpie has landed its stars. It’s been revealed that Daisy Ridley and Shazad Latif will star opposite one another in the sexy thriller, which was initially dreamt up by Ridley, with Matilda Lutz also tapped for a leading role. Sam Yates, who has won awards for his on-stage directorial work, will be moving his talents behind the camera to helm the project. Doing so will mark Magpie as his feature directorial debut.
In what sounds like something ripped from the headlines, Magpie, which was penned by Tom Bateman, will center around a couple and their aspiring actress daughter. Supporting their child’s dream, the couple has done everything in their power to make sure she gets all the opportunities that she deserves. All of that is flipped on its head when the daughter lands the role of the lifetime, but with a catch. She’s been cast opposite a problematic major Hollywood star. The family will now need to navigate their every move carefully to be sure their daughter is furthering her career while taking care of herself.
Known best for her roles in the latest Star Wars films, Ridley has been keeping herself busy as of late with several projects due to be released in the near-ish future. There’s the Neil Burger directed psychological thriller, The Marsh King’s Daughter, which is currently in post-production; the drama short, Sometimes I Think About Dying, which is also in post-production; and the Joachim Rønning directed biographical drama centered on American Olympic swimmer, Gertrude Ederle titled Young Woman and the Sea, which is currently filming. Magpie will see Ridley working alongside her real-life romantic partner, Bateman. The two met while filming 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express and together launched a production company, Werewolf Films, which is set to join the production team for Magpie.
While British fans have long known Latif from the BBC TV series, Spooks, he further wedged his way into American living rooms with his role in Penny Dreadful. More recently, followers of the Paramount+ series, Star Trek: Discovery, will recognize Latif as Chief of Security Ash Tyler. He’ll next be seen in the leading role of Captain Nemo in Disney+’s live-action series, Nautilus, a prequel series to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Along with Werewolf Films, 55 Films’ Kate Solomon will also serve as a producer on the thriller flick that has high hopes of finding a buyer at the Cannes market later this month. While we don’t have a release date, we do know that production is hoping to begin rolling cameras early next year. As always, stay tuned to Collider for more information surrounding this new project.