‘Munich’: Jeremy Irons And George MacKay Join Netflix’s WWII Spy Thriller

Not to be confused with the Steven Spielberg film, Netflix’s Munich is lining up a cast of equal measure. THR reports Jeremy Irons and 1917 breakout George MacKay are heading up the feature adaptation of Robert Harris’ bestselling spy novel.

Munich (a title I fully expect to be changed) is a spy thriller with a vast international cast of British and German actors. Alongside Irons and MacKay are Mute actor Jannis Niehwöhner, Toni Erdmann‘s Sandra Hüller, A Hidden Life‘s August Diehl, Inglourious Basterds‘ Martin Wuttke once-again playing Hitler, plus Liv Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin), Erin Doherty (The Crown), Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey), and Marc Limpach (Bad Banks).

As for the story, it’s  “set in fall 1938 as Europe stands on the brink of World War II. As Adolf Hilter prepares to invade Czechoslovakia, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Irons) is desperate to find a peaceful solution. British civil servant Hugh Legat (MacKay) and German diplomat Paul von Hartmann (Niehwöhner), travel to Munich for an emergency conference. As they see if war can be averted — and at what cost — the two old friends find themselves at the center of a political plot, with their own lives in danger.”

Christian Schwochow (The Crown) will direct, with Ben Power adapting Harris’ book.

MacKay has kept a low profile since 1917, only featuring in True History of the Kelly Gang which had been shot before his star took off with Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning war movie. Irons was an Emmy nominee for his performance in HBO’s Watchmen, and will star in the upcoming rom-com Love, Weddings & Other Disasters.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.