Watchmen's Jeremy Irons has signed up for Netflix's movie adaptation of bestselling thriller novel Munich.
He will be joined by 1917 star George MacKay and Mute actor Jannis Niewöhner in the film, which is based on Robert Harris' 2017 novel of the same name, writes The Hollywood Reporter.
Set in September 1938, Munich takes place at the point when Europe was on the brink of war. With Adolf Hitler (Martin Wuttke, who also played Hitler in Inglourious Basterds) preparing to invade Czechoslovakia, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Irons) is desperate to find a peaceful solution.
What to Read Next
Related: Watchmen boss says season 2 would be "betrayal"
This leads British civil servant Hugh Legat (MacKay) and German diplomat and member of the anti-Hitler resistance Paul von Hartmann (Niewöhner) to travel to Munich to attend an emergency conference.
Hugh and Paul were good friends at Oxford University in the days before Hitler rose to power but haven't seen each other for six years.
Their reunion sees them embroiled in a political plot as they try to work out a way to avoid war, with the future of Europe hanging in the balance.
The British-German cast will also include The Crown star Erin Doherty, Downton Abbey's Robert Bathurst, Babylon Berlin star Liv Lisa Fries and A Hidden Life's August Diehl. Bad Banks actor Marc Limpach and Toni Erdmann star Sandra Hüller will also star.
Munich by Robert Harris – SHOP NOW
The Crown director Christian Schwochow will helm the movie while The Hollow Crown developer Ben Power has adapted the novel into the movie's script.
David Kosse, who leads Netflix's international film division, told The Hollywood Reporter that Munich is "emblematic of the kind of movie the group has been looking to make since I joined".
"They are European-set, multilingual films that feature a strong cast, strong directors, intellectual property that has some value across territories. We are looking to create movies of a certain scale out of Europe that can travel," he said.
Munich is in production now and is due for release on Netflix in 2021.
All episodes of Watchmen are available on Sky Catch Up and NOW TV.
Digital Spy has launched its first-ever digital magazine with exclusive features, interviews, and videos. Access the latest edition with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+.
Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox - and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers.
Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
