James Nelson Joyce, Richard E. Grant, and Dominic West will star in The Man Who Stole Portugal, based on the true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom. Variety reported that principal photography has begun on the project, "a darkly comic period heist inspired by one of the most audacious financial frauds of the 20th century."
Directed by Thomas Napper (Jawbone, Widow Clicquot) from a script by Richard Galazka, the film's cast also includes Emily Fairn, Joel Fry, Herbert Nordrum, Kim Bodnia, and Nia Towle. Michael Elliott produces for EMU Films, with Walli Ullah and Jim Mooney as executive producers. Terry Smith is an exec producer and also finances via Moviedrome. The production will shoot in the U.K., Portugal, and South Africa.
"Alves Reis is fascinating because he doesn't set out to destroy the system, he wants a way into it. He wants security, respect, and a future for his family," said Napper. "That feels very alive now, when so many people feel the odds are stacked against them. What makes the story so thrilling is watching an outsider learn how to open those doors, bluff by bluff, and for a while make the system work for him. It's outrageous and funny, but it also speaks to something very current: who gets access, who gets shut out, and what people will do to cross that line."
Elliott called the movie "funny, stylish and full of momentum, with a character at its center who is impossible not to watch. Thomas has a brilliant instinct for the human story inside the spectacle, and with this cast we think audiences are going to get a film that is hugely entertaining, surprising and has a real edge."