EXCLUSIVE: Walden Media and Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road Pictures are making the Cold War thriller Billion Dollar Spy, with Oscar winner Russell Crowe and Industry’s Harry Lawtey set to headline.
Oscar-winning writer Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) wrote the most recent draft, revising a script penned by Ben August. The screenplay is adapted from the bestselling book by David E. Hoffman.
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Amma Asante
BAFTA Award winner Amma Asante (Belle, A Way of Life, A United Kingdom) will direct. The project is in pre-production.
Set against the high-stakes backdrop of the late Cold War, Billion Dollar Spy follows Adolf Tolkachev (Crowe), an ordinary man who risks everything to pass thousands of pages of top-secret Soviet intelligence to the U.S. Despite repeated rejections by a wary CIA, Tolkachev persisted, embodying the courage to stand against a regime that betrayed its own people. Finally finding an ally in CIA agent Tom Lenihan (Lawtey), Tolkachev was able to fundamentally shift the balance of power, proving that true patriotism lies not in blind allegiance but in the willingness to challenge a government when it strays from its ideals. In an era when resistance and bravery are more relevant than ever, his story resonates deeply.
“Walden Media has always sought to tell stories of extraordinary courage, and Billion Dollar Spy is no exception,” said Frank Smith, president and CEO of Walden Media. “Adolf Tolkachev’s bravery reminds us that true heroism often comes at great personal risk, and his legacy is a testament to the power of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming danger. We are especially thrilled to again work with the great Russell Crowe, who is no stranger to tour-de-force performances.”
“Greg Lessans and I are excited to partner with Walden Media, Amma Asante, and our old friend, the brilliant Russell Crowe, to tell this true story of loyalty and dedication to freedom on both sides of the Iron Curtain,” said Goldsman.
Frank Smith, Benjamin Tappan and Cher Hawrysh of Walden Media are producing alongside Goldsman and Greg Lessans of Weed Road. Jane Hooks will serve as an EP. Pioneer Stillking Films’ Ildiko Kemeny, David Minkowski and Ferenc Szále will serve as co-producers. Hanway Films is handling international sales.
Crowe is a three-time Oscar nominee and won the Best Actor Oscar for Gladiator. He has starred in such acclaimed films as A Beautiful Mind (which Goldsman wrote and won an Adapted Screenplay for), The Insider and L.A. Confidential, and will next be seen starring in Walden Media’s Nuremberg along with Rami Malek and Michael Shannon, directed by James Vanderbilt. He is currently shooting Bear Country, an action thriller directed by Derrick Borte.
Lawtey is best known for his role as Robert in HBO’s hit series Industry. He previously starred in Netflix’s The Pale Blue Eye and as the iconic Harvey Dent in Warner Bros’ Joker: Folie à Deux. He will next be seen in Icon’s biopic Mr Burton playing acting icon Richard Burton.
Crowe is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher, LLP. Lawtey is represented by Elizabeth Fieldhouse at Hamilton Hodell in the UK, Harrison Waterstreet and Mitch Bukhar at CAA in the U.S. and Lucy Popkin at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman. Asante is represented by CAA, United Agents, Mosaic and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman Meigs & Fox, LLP. CAA Media Finance is handling domestic rights on the project.
Walden Media is a division of Anschutz Film Group. The independent film studio, which develops, produces, and finances stories rooted in every kind of courage, has released more than 60 movies including Finch, Wonder, A Dog’s Purpose, Bridge to Terabithia, Chronicles of Narnia, Charlotte’s Web, Amazing Grace, Ray and Holes. Most recently, Walden produced the Apple TV+ limited series Manhunt about the hunt for Abraham Lincoln’s assassin John Wilkes Booth.
Weed Road’s canon includes Deep Blue Sea, Constantine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I Am Legend, Hancock, Fair Game, Lone Survivor, Amazon’s Map of Tiny Perfect Things (nominated for a Critics Choice Award), Peacock’s Meet Cute starring Pete Davidson and Kaley Cuoco, Amazon’s Without Remorse starring Michael B. Jordan, and Netflix’s animated holiday hit Back to the Outback. They are also behind the Paramount+ Star Trek series: Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, both co-created by Goldsman, with Season 4 of Strange New Worlds just announced. Up next for Weed Road: Rainbow Six, with Michael B. Jordan starring and Chad Stahelski directing for Paramount. Goldsman also penned Warner Bros’ upcoming sequel to Practical Magic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman.
UK-based financing, sales, distribution and marketing company HanWay Films counts an upcoming slate that includes Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial debut Hot Milk, which premiered in competition at the recent Berlin Film Festival with Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw starring. There’s also John McClean’s Tornado starring Koki, Tim Roth and Jack Lowden world premiering as the opening film of the 2025 Glasgow Film Festival; Uberto Passolini’s The Return starring Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year; and La Cocina, which premiered in Competition at the 2024 Berlinale, written and directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios and starring Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones.
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