Deadline is reporting that Netflix has acquired the worldwide distribution rights for spy thriller Heart of Stone from Skydance Media. The film is set to star Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman 1984; Red Notice) and has BAFTA Film Award-nominee Tom Harper (The Aeronauts; Wild Rose) attached to direct.
The project was initially announced in early December, with the studio revealing plans to launch a female-centric spy franchise of the same caliber as the Mission: Impossible and James Bond films, featuring epic action and global scope.
Gadot already has a pretty busy schedule, so it's uncertain when production may begin. She's set to start filming Apple TV+'s Hedy Lamarr series within the next few weeks, and after that, has both Paramount's Cleopatra and Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman 3 already on her docket. However, considering there's no definitive start date for either of those projects, it's possible Gadot could start principal photography on Heart of Stone before the end of this year.
This is the second high-profile project Skydance has unloaded this week, following Chris Pratt's The Tomorrow War, which they reportedly sold to Amazon in a massive $200 million-plus deal yesterday. The film has already completed post-production and was originally set to debut in theaters this past December, but was delayed indefinitely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With theaters set to remain operating in a limited capacity for the foreseeable future, the studio screened the film for streamers this week, and after a positive response, was quick to strike a deal with the highest bidder.
Next up for Gadot is Kenneth Branagh's Death on the Nile, HBO Max's Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Netflix's Red Notice, where she'll star opposite Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam; Hobbs & Shaw) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool; Free Guy).