Netflix has put together its ensemble cast for Munich, which will be led by Jeremy Irons (Watchmen, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice). The World War II movie is set to be directed by Christian Schwochow (Bad Banks, The Crown) and is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by Robert Harris. The ensemble cast will feature a mix of British and German actors.
According to a new report, the cast also includes George MacKay (1917), Jannis Niehwohner (Mute), Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin), Erin Doherty (The Crown), Sandra H&üller (Toni Erdmann), August Diehl (A Hidden Life), Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey) and Marc Limpach (Bad Banks). Also of note, Martin Wuttke will be taking on the role of Adolf Hitler, Wuttke previously played the part in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The movie takes place in 1938 as Europe was on the brink of WWII. A synopsis for the novel reads as follows.
“Hugh Legat is a rising star of the British diplomatic service, serving at 10 Downing Street as a private secretary to the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain. Paul von Hartmann is on the staff of the German Foreign Office, and secretly a member of the anti-Hitler resistance. The two men were friends at Oxford in the 1920s, but have not been in contact since. Now, when Hugh flies with Chamberlain from London to Munich, and Hartmann travels on Hitler’s train overnight from Berlin, their paths are set on a disastrous collision course.”
Production is already underway with plans to release the movie in 2021. Ben Power (The Hollow Crown) penned the screenplay. This is part of Netflix’s growing commitment to releasing more foreign-language content. David Kosse has been tapped to head the streaming service’s international film division. Kosse had this to say about Munich in a statement.
“Munich is emblematic of the kind of movie the group has been looking to make since I joined. They are European-set, multilingual films that feature a strong cast, strong directors, intellectual property that has some value across territories. We are looking to create movies of a certain scale out of Europe that can travel.”
Netflix has had luck with non-English-language movies in the past. One of the most high-profile examples was director Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The Spanish horror movie The Platform also performed incredibly well for the service. It ended up becoming one of the company’s ten most-watched original movies.
Munich is just one of several European-set movies Netflix has going at the moment. Hand of God is currently in production in Italy, along with the musical We Were Songs from Spanish director Juana Macias, and they have a French sci-fi comedy titled Big Bug. Jean-Claude Van Damme is also starring in The Last Mercenary, a French action/comedy, which has wrapped production and Alexandre Aja’s O2 is in the books. As is the Italian comedy Rose Island, which arrives in December. This news comes to us via The Hollywood Reporter.
