Multiple award-winning actress Aubrey Plaza will add another major role in a comedy film to her resume on British director Guy Ritchie‘s next project, Five Eyes.
(Photo: Instagram)
Funny actress Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Black Bear) stars opposite action star Jason Statham (Crank) in the humorous spy flick, which is currently shooting on location in Qatar, Turkey, and other world spots.
The film is about MI6 agent Orson Fortune (Statham) recruited by a global intelligence alliance to track down and stop the sale of deadly weapons technology that threatens the world order. Against his wishes, the agent is paired with CIA high-tech expert Sarah Fidel (Plaza) to go on a globe-trotting mission. Fortune will have to use his charm, ingenuity, and stealthiness to infiltrate billionaire arms dealer Greg Simmonds.
The cast includes Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin), Hugh Grant (Love Actually), Cary Elwes (Saw), and Bugzy Malone (The Gentlemen).
Ritchie is also exec producing the film which is based on a screenplay by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. Both writers previously worked with the director in the international blockbuster The Gentlemen and the recently wrapped-up action thriller Wrath of Man. Atkinson and Statham also produce along with Bill Block (District 9).
Plaza is best known for her role in the TV series Parks and Recreation which won a Peabody Award in 2011. In 2014 the half-Puerto Rican star proclaimed to Latina Magazine that she is “Boricua pa’que lo sepas!”
The role in Five Eyes may be her biggest on the big screen to date.
She has earned accolades for her work in mainly independent movies doing both dramatic and comedic roles to critical acclaim. Most recently the Hollywood Critics Association announced that she will be recognized with the Acting Achievement Award for her performance in the experimental dramedy Black Bear.
Three years ago, Plaza won the Film Independent Spirit Award for best feature for Ingrid Goes West, a film she starred and produced along with Matt Spicer, Jared Goldman, Adam Mirels, and Robert Mirels. And In 2012, she landed her first starring role alongside Mark Duplass, in the comedy, Safety Not Guaranteed, for which she received the Young Hollywood Award for breakthrough performance by an actress and the American Latino Media Arts (ALMA) Award for favorite movie actress in a comedy.
Five Eyes can potentially raise the comedienne-turn-actress Plaza’s boxoffice standing worldwide. Although a budget is yet to be disclosed, the Miramax production is expected to cost millions. As a point of reference, Ritchie’s 2019 The Gentlemen for STX Films cost $ 22 million and made more than $115 million globally.
Ritchie recently posted an Instagram video showing Five Eyes cast and crew at work in Turkey, with Plaza walking alongside Statham in scenes. The director and crew members wear facemasks for the coronavirus pandemic.
Five Eyes is financed by Miramax and will be distributed by STX.
Here is a sneak peek of the film on director Guy Ritchie’s Instagram:
Featured Photo: NBC/NBCU