It was recently announced at the Cannes Film Festival that writer and director Olivier Assayas‘ new film “Wasp Network” will star Edgar Ramirez and Pedro Pascal. Though Assayas doesn’t have a film on the Croisette this year, his previous collaborations with actress and current festival judge Kristen Stewart, “Personal Shopper” and “Clouds of Sils Maria,” have appeared at Cannes, both of which received wide acclaim. “Wasp Network” is based on Fernando Morais’ book, “The Last Soldiers of the Cold War.”
“Wasp Network” tells the true story of Cuban spies that infiltrated a terrorist network based in Florida that was known for bombing hotels and shooting up Cuban beaches. The spies were sent by the Cuban government to gain intel and disrupt the activities. We don’t yet have word on which roles Ramirez and Pascal will play.
The plot of the film sounds exciting, and in the hands of Assayas, our hopes are high. “Wasp Network” is especially exciting for the reteaming of Assayas with Edgar Ramirez. As mentioned above, Assayas has recent critical acclaim for his two Cannes standout films, but before that, the filmmaker teamed with Ramirez on the award-winning miniseries “Carlos.” That series told the story of Venezuelan revolutionary Carlos the Jackal, and won tons of awards, as well as being nominated for an Emmy. So, we’re down for anything that Ramirez and Assayas have cooked up.
Ramirez most recently appeared as Gianni Versace in Ryan Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” and signed on to join Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt in Disney’s forthcoming “Jungle Cruise.” Coming fresh off of “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” Pascal is probably best known for his scene-stealing role in “Game of Thrones” and his work on Netflix’s “Narcos,” and recently signed on to star in “Wonder Woman 2.”
RT Features, the company behind “Call Me By Your Name,” is co-producing “Wasp Network” along with CG Cinema. IMR International is presenting the film to foreign buyers at Cannes, while CAA is securing the U.S. rights. A release date is not known at this time.