Paul Mescal‘s breakout role may have been in 2020’s “Normal People,” but 2022 is the year the actor showcases his talents on the big screen. With starring roles in “God’s Creatures,” “Aftersun,” and “Carmen” this year, Mescal’s star is no longer just a rising talent but a bonafide star. And now he has yet another upcoming project: “A Spy By Nature,” helmed by “The Mauritanian” and “The Last King Of Scotland” director Kevin Macdonald.
Based on Charles Cumming‘s bestselling “Alec Milius” spy book series, the film follows a young man adept at deception recruited by MI6 whose talent for lying ends up wreaking havoc in both his personal and professional lives.
Here’s an official synopsis for the film, courtesy of HanWay Films:
Alec Milius is a disillusioned twenty-something whose gift for deception catches the eye of MI6. Caught up in the thrusts of a geopolitical war on commodities involving the British and the Americans, at home he struggles to preserve his relationship with
his girlfriend and build a future together. As his web of lies grows, Alec is forced to confront his own nature – whether he can be a good man as well as a good spy.
BAFTA winner and Oscar nominee John Hodge adapts the first novel in Cumming’s series for the film, with Joseph Carlton penning the most recent draft. Chris Clark and Quentin Curtis, who co-produced “All The Money In The World” together, produce the film through RedRum Films.
In a press release, Macdonald spoke about his excitement for the project, as well as working with Mescal. ““I’ve wanted to make “A Spy By Nature” for many years – and when I met Paul Mescal, with his beguiling mixture of intelligence, skill and youth, I knew I’d found the perfect star. This is a very modern spy story – sexy, dangerous, morally ambivalent – and only an actor of Paul’s talent could pull it off.”
HanWay Films CEO Gabrielle Stewart also blessed the project. “Paul Mescal feels like the actor of the moment, so to have him team up with Kevin Macdonald to bring to the screen the compelling origins story of popular young spy Alec Milius is extremely exciting,” Stewart said in a press release. “We love the fresh setting of millennial contemporary London and the modernity of the characters and their relationships. I feel confident we will all want to revisit this young spy in his next adventure with what could be the beginning of an exciting new franchise.”
No word on who else will join Mescal on the cast of “A Spy By Nature,” but the actor in a role like this is exciting enough. Add in Kevin Macdonald’s talents, and this movie may be one of the most intriguing of the next couple of years. Stay tuned for more news on this project.
