With Mad Men‘s final episodes upon us, the show’s star is looking up for his next film gig and now, he seems to have found it. Jon Hamm has signed on to star in High Wire Act, a political thriller written by Bourne Identity scribe Tony Gilroy.
Brad Anderson, the in-demand helmer behind Transsiberian, The Call and last year’s Stonehearst Asylum, will take the reins on the pic, which is set in the tumultuous political climate of Beirut circa 1980. Gilroy, of course, wrote the scripts for all entries of the Bourne franchise as well as Michael Clayton, Duplicity and State of Play (the first two of which he also directed).
As per Deadline, Hamm is set to star as a former U.S. diplomat who must handle a case that requires the utmost professionalism but simultaneously conjures up personal demons: the kidnapping of a colleague by the same group that may have been responsible for the murders of the diplomat’s family years prior.
Both Gilroy and Anderson seem ecstatic with the way the project is coming together in separate statements. Gilroy said he’s “thrilled” with what he’s seen happen so far, adding:
“Jon Hamm was made to play the part. I’ve been trying to work with Brad Anderson from the moment I saw Transsiberian and every conversation we have confirms my confidence. I can’t wait to see a script that means so much to me get up and running.”
For his part, Anderson expressed his admiration for Gilroy’s work and stated:
“Tony may have been channeling John le Carré when he wrote this, and as such it has many of the themes I love that make those stories so great – the political intrigue, the betrayals, the morally compromised characters, the reluctant heroes. And it’s set in a world – war-torn Beirut – that’s seldom depicted on screen.”
With Hamm, who has been repeatedly nominated for Emmys throughout Mad Men‘s run, in the lead role, and a creative duo like Gilroy and Anderson behind the camera, there’s reason to expect great things from High Wire Act.Â
