When someone like Jessica Chastain wants to make a female ensemble spy film, you just know she’s going to recruit a killer cast to join her. And apparently, according to a report from Deadline, Chastain did just that.
Chastain has announced that she will star alongside Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Lupita Nyong’o, and Fan Bingbing in what is being described as a female spy film in the same vein as “The Bourne Identity,” “Mission: Impossible,” and ‘James Bond.’ The film, titled “355,” is written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Simon Kinberg.
This film marks a quick reunion for Kinberg and Chastain, as the actress is starring in Kinberg’s directorial debut “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” And now the duo is joined by the all-star cast of talented women as they venture off to the upcoming Cannes Film Festival to look for international buyers.
“I had so much fun working on ‘The Help’ that I always wanted to do another female ensemble film,” Chastain said to Deadline. “I love the ‘Bourne’ movies, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films and wondered why, except for ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ there hadn’t been a true female ensemble action thriller spy film. That got my wheels going, along with the idea of casting actresses from all over the world to truly make it an international project. I realized the incredible creative freedom we would have with that. I brought the idea to Simon, told him about the actresses I was thinking of, and he was so sweet. He said, ‘I want to do it with you.’”
READ MORE: ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’: New Images With Michael Fassbender & Jessica Chastain
And apparently, the title for the film comes from discussions that Chastain had with a CIA consultant on the set of “Zero Dark Thirty.” “Agent 355 was the code name of a female spy during the American Revolution. She was one of the very first spies for the United States, and her identity is still unknown. For a lot of women who work in the CIA and other organizations like that, Code 355 is a universal slang term for female spy. It’s the invisible woman who was never named,” explains the actress.
Now, obviously, since this is the film industry in 2018, the goal is for “355” to spawn a new franchise. “We are hoping to create a franchise with this, and the first film will be the agents coming together,” says Kinberg.
We’ll see what happens when we learn more about “355” in the months ahead.
By this point, Jessica Chastain’s name has come to become synonymous with badass. The way she keeps on pushing for inclusivity in an industry that like so many others has denied it for years is simply admirable. Can’t wait to see this exceptional, diverse, full of talent and beauty cast in this spy movie. And the fact that it’s an original idea makes it even more awesome. We need more projects like this.