Deadline has shared a first-look image from Canary Black, an upcoming action spy thriller starring Kate Beckinsale (Underworld; Jolt) in the lead role as a top-level CIA agent named Avery Graves.
The synopsis teases that the story "follows a top CIA operative, Avery Graves (Beckinsale), who is blackmailed by terrorists into betraying her own country to save her kidnapped husband. Cut off from her team, she turns to her underworld contacts to survive and help locate the coveted intelligence that the kidnappers want. Betrayed at every turn, she must rely on her cutting-edge training and primitive fighting skills in a deadly race to deliver a ransom that could trigger a global crisis."
Principal photography on the film started this week, with Pierre Morel (Taken; Peppermint) in the director's chair and a screenplay from Matthew Kennedy (Inheritance). It's also currently being shopped at AFM, so expect news on a distributor within the coming week.
Prior to starting Canary Black, Beckinsale wrapped Charlie Day's directorial debut El Tonto and the Catherine Hardwicke-directed drama Prisoner's Daughter. The latter held its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and was met with a mostly positive reception.
Beckinsale is, of course, well-versed in the action genre, having starred in five Underworld films as vampire badass extraordinaire Selene. Her filmography also includes Van Helsing opposite Hugh Jackman (Logan; X-Men: Days of Future Past), the 2012 Total Recall reboot with Colin Farrell (The Batman; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), and last year's Prime Video actioner Jolt.
Morel, who is best known for his work on the Liam Neeson-starrer Taken, recently finished the action-comedy Freelance, which has John Cena (Peacemaker; The Suicide Squad) and Alison Brie (Community; GLOW) in the lead roles. His other credits include From Paris with Love, The Gunman, Peppermint, and Al Kameen.