Jeff Daniels, Jared Harris & J.K. Simmons To Topline Cold War Drama ‘Reykjavik’; Michael Russell Gunn Directing For SK Global
EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Daniels (A Man in Full), Jared Harris (Chernobyl) and J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos) have signed on to star in Reykjavik, a historical drama from SK Global (Anyone But You) that chronicles one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of modern times: The Reykjavik Summit.
Reykjavik takes place at the most dangerous point of the Cold War, watching as political enemies Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet in Iceland over one long, tense weekend to decide if there will be peace or war in the world.
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Daniels plays U.S. President Reagan, with Harris as Soviet leader Gorbachev, and Simmons as United States Secretary of State George Shultz.
Michael Russell Gunn will direct from his own script, in his feature debut, following his work with SK Global as showrunner of its acclaimed limited series Thai Cave Rescue for Netflix. He also produces alongside John Logan Pierson (It Ends with Us, Thai Cave Rescue). Production will commence on location in Reykjavik, Iceland in early October, with extensive filming at H?fei House, the actual site of the 1986 summit.
Sources tell Deadline that Gunn’s project is one that he’s spent years working on and researching. His work began when he drove out to Stanford to interview Secretary of State Shultz before his passing, receiving now-declassified transcripts from the summit. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the recent revelation that the U.S. will again deploy long-range missiles in Germany, the hope is to reflect on how we, as citizens and as nations, can come together to work past our differences, in pursuit of a better, safer world.
Daniels is coming off of A Man in Full, Netflix’s limited series from David E. Kelley, which adapts the 1998 novel from Tom Wolfe. Recently, he was also seen starring opposite Maura Tierney in the crime drama American Rust, which ran for two seasons.
Most recently boarding Kathryn Bigelow’s new film for Netflix, as we were first to report, Harris also stars in Apple TV+ and Skydance’s sci-fi series Foundation, based on the works of Isaac Asimov, which previewed its forthcoming third season at Comic-Con. Previously garnering Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Chernobyl, he’s also recently wrapped on the indies Brave the Dark and Reawakening.
Following roles in films like National Champions and Being the Ricardos, Simmons’ upcoming slate includes the Clint Eastwood pic Juror #2, Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, Amazon’s sequel to The Accountant and holiday event film Red One, and the addiction film The Prince written by David Mamet.
Prior to Thai Cave Rescue, Gunn wrote and produced for the critically acclaimed Showtime series Billions, as well as the political thriller Designated Survivor for ABC and Netflix, having begun his career on Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. On the film side, he sold his script The Virginian about a young George Washington to Warner Bros, and is currently adapting a novel for Charlize Theron at Universal.
Indie studio SK Global has produced and financed over 100 features, dating back to its origins as Sidney Kimmel Entertainment. Most recently, the company unveiled the acclaimed rom-com Anyone But You, a star-making project for Glen Powell, who led the cast opposite Sydney Sweeney. The Sony pic emerged as a sleeper hit upon its December 2023 release, proving that rom-coms can continue to work theatrically as it grossed over $220 million worldwide. Also recently unveiling the acclaimed limited series Thai Cave Rescue, as well as inspirational docs like Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, which just debuted on Netflix, the company is also responsible for such acclaimed titles as Crazy Rich Asians, Hell or High Water and The Place Beyond the Pines, among many others.
Daniels is repped by CAA, Martino Management, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; Harris by CAA, Gateway Management, Independent Talent Group in the UK, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Simmons by Gersh; and Gunn by WME and Artists First.
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