I have learned that Javier Bardem has signed on to star in the AGENT GARBO PROJECT. The story is about a self made secret agent in WWII who matched wits with the best minds of the Third Reich… and won. Agent Garbo was originally Juan Pujol, a nobody poultry farmer from Barcelona determined to oppose the Nazis. Using only his gift for daring falsehoods, Pujol became Germany’s most valued agent… and the allies’ double agent. But it was no easy task as it took four tries before the British believed he was really on the Allies’ side. The film will be based off the Historical-Non-Fiction book, “Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day” by Stephan Talty.
The film is being produced through Mandeville Films with Laura Cray overseeing the project. If they manage to attach the the right writer and director for the project, this will be a huge hit as they already have incredible talent lined up to work from some of the most cinematic source material you could ever ask for.
Talty’s book is a fantastic look into Pujol’s life and influence on WWII and his story deserves the big screen treatment more than most. There is so much amazing source material for this story I actually feel bad for the writer who signs on and has to whittle it all down to two hours. Another of Talty’s books “A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea” inspired the recent Tom Hanks vehicle, “Captain Phillips.” Hopefully, with the success that film enjoyed (making more than 4x it’s budget worldwide), this project will be fast tracked and we will get to see Bardem lying to some Nazis real soon.
Bardem is probably still best known for his role in “No Country For Old Men,” but really hit it out of the park in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and “Skyfall” as well. He was last on screen in “The Counselor” and will be seen next in StudioCanal and Silver Pictures, “The Gunman.” He is an amazing actor, and once again I hope we get to see him in this film as soon as possible.
Bardem is repped by WME.
