Hitting the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in January, Keira Knightley starred in the political thriller “Official Secrets.” The film is based on the book “The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War,” which was in turn based on the real-life events of Katharine Gun, a member of the British Intelligence Agency.
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The story takes us back to 2003 when Bush was president, and the Iraq war was looming and seemed inevitable. Well, not inevitable to Katharine Gun. The justification of the Iraq War is still a highly debated topic to this day, and Gun’s actions during the immediate run-up to the invasion certainly help fuel the discussion. Along the lines of stories like those of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, the film explores Gun’s leak of a top-secret memo exposing an illegal spying operation against members of the United Nations Security Council, orchestrated by the United States and the United Kingdom. The outcome of such spying would’ve resulted in the two countries blackmailing smaller nations into voting for war.
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Initially planned for 2016, the cast started with stars like Harrison Ford, Anthony Hopkins, and Gillian Anderson. However, after months of radio silence from the studio, the entirety of the film was suddenly revamped in 2017 with a new cast and a new director. Gavin Hood, replacing Justin Chadwick, is a South African filmmaker whose 2006 film “Tsotsi” won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His name is also known in the science fantasy world with his directorial hand in the movies “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Ender’s Game.”
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The “Official Secrets” cast includes Keira Knightley (“Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Pride and Prejudice”), taking a break from period dramas to star in the leading role as Katharine Gun. Matt Smith of “Doctor Who” fame will be co-starring as British journalist Martin Bright, with Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, and Rhys Ifans rounding up the ensemble.
“Official Secrets” made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and arrives in select theaters on August 30 via IFC Films. The U.K. trailer, from E-One, is available now.
