Principal photography has begun on The Man Who Stole Portugal, a feature project from director Thomas Napper (Jawbone) that has been described as a “darkly comic period heist” about “one of the most audacious financial frauds of the 20th century.”
The film stars James Nelson Joyce (This City is Ours) as Alves Reis, a self-made outsider with a genius for turning a closed door into an opportunity, the official synopsis reads.
The synopsis continues: “Shut out and underestimated, Reis is determined to give his wife Maria, played by Emily Fairn (The Responder), and their family the life they deserve, and, hustle by hustle, he begins to invent his way upwards. From forged credentials to official contracts, his journey takes him via colonial backwaters all the way to the boardrooms of the Bank of Portugal – until his greatest bluff becomes one of the greatest cons in history.
“The Man Who Stole Portugal follows Reis’ hunger for status into a world of financiers, diplomats, bureaucrats, and opportunists, as he makes the establishment a grand accomplice in its own deception.”
The cast also includes Joel Fry (Bank of Dave) as Jose, Herbert Nordrum (The Worst Person in the World) as Karel, Kim Bodnia (F1) as Adolf, with Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me) as Sir William, and Dominic West (Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale) as Carlos.
Napper directs from a script by Richard Galazka, inspired by the true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom. Michael Elliott (A Long Winter) produces for EMU Films, with Walli Ullah and Jim Mooney as Executive Producers. Terry Smith is the Executive Producer and also finances via Moviedrome.
The production will shoot in the UK, Portugal, and South Africa. Beta Cinema is handling world sales and will launch the project to international buyers at the upcoming Cannes Market.
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