Before Christmas, director Mike Newell had essentially finished work on "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," and now all that remains before its May release is to select a song for the end credits (he's leaning toward a very well-known female artist). With that mammoth effort largely behind him, Newell has been able to turn his attention to new projects, one of which is an adaptation of "The Terminal Spy," a nonfiction book about the death of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko, who was suspected of having been assassinated by his former Russian bosses in 2006.
In a recent interview with MTV News, Newell revealed that he already has a draft of the script finished, is in the midst of casting the lead role, and envisions the film as part action thriller, part paranoid political drama.
MTV: Will the Litvinenko movie be next for you after "Prince of Persia"?
Mike Newell: Maybe. We've got a very good script. There's still work to do. The big thing about a project like that is you have to have a dynamite piece of casting, which doesn't necessarily mean the kind of current six biggest box office draws. That type of casting is always very, very, very delicate, and we find ourselves right in the middle of that delicacy about which I am afraid there is absolutely nothing I can tell you because there are so many balls in the air.
MTV: Can you talk a little bit about the film in terms of tone? Is it similar to a Jason Bourne movie or something more like "Syriana"?
Newell: If you could be clever enough to put those two things together, then you would have a dynamite show. It is very close to "Syriana." I loved that movie. It had a subtitle in my head, which was: "The Business of Oil." I loved the ambitions of it and how very un-straight the narrative in it was. It jumped around all over the place — Jesus! — and I loved that. At the same time, the "Bourne" franchise, which is a much simpler thing, is immensely dynamic and entertaining. It would be great to have that, but you have to get the character right. The thing about Litvinenko is that he was not by any means a white knight. If you were to ask yourself, "What was the motivation for his murder?" there are many, many interesting avenues down which you could go, and we are still keeping an open book on that.
MTV: The storyline about a political assassination is something that's right now very politically and culturally relevant. You had the situation in Dubai not too long ago, where some are accusing Israeli agents of having taken out a senior Hamas official.
Newell: We're right there, you bet. That is one of things that's so fascinating about it all. We know why Litvinenko's getting murdered, but who did it? The KGB, who still exist under another acronym — they're called the FSB — one of the things they are supposed to have said is, "If we had killed Litvinenko, do you suppose you would have ever known about it?" And you would say to yourself, "Well, I guess we wouldn't because you are the great chess masters and there's nothing that you can't do." One of the fallouts of the Cold War — and I think this is the fallout from the Cold War story — is you believe that those skills are still there. Who lives, whether they manipulate them, and to what end? All of these are fabulous questions for a paranoid thriller.
MTV: Will it be called 'The Terminal Spy' or is that just the working title?
Newell: It's a working title and in my head I just call it "Litvinenko." It's still got a lot hoops to jump through. It's a fascinating story, but one not without its dangers. You've got to get it right. You have to tell the truth. You have to be very careful you don't step on sensitive nerves. It's a work in progress and we're a long way from a start. We need an actor!
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