Jeremy Irons transforms into former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to shoot Netflix film Munich

Jeremy Irons transformed into former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to shoot new Netflix film Munich at Rochdale Town Hall, Greater Manchester, on Tuesday.

The upcoming movie is adapted from Robert Harris’ critically-acclaimed 2017 spy thriller of the same name and is slated for release in 2021.

Harris’ 12th thriller novel documents former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s notorious ‘peace for our time’ trip to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler.   

Transformed: Jeremy Irons transformed into former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to shoot new Netflix film Munich at Rochdale Town Hall, Greater Manchester, on Tuesday

It shows him in a far more favourable light than he is usually portrayed by opponents of appeasement, casting him as a formidable, almost heroic figure. 

Irons looked almost unrecognisable as he wore a black top hat and sported a grey moustache just like the late Chamberlain on set for the film. 

The actor further transformed into the former Prime Minister by wearing a black three-piece suit with pinstripe trousers, a grey top topcoat and a dotted cravat-style tie. 

Irons appeared to be getting into character as he puffed on a cigarette, it is not known if this was part of filming and his role.

Premise: The upcoming movie is adapted from Robert Harris' critically-acclaimed 2017 spy thriller of the same name and is slated for release in 2021

Pictured: Chamberlain in 1935

Premise: The upcoming movie is adapted from Robert Harris’ critically-acclaimed 2017 spy thriller of the same name and is slated for release in 2021 (Irons pictured left and Chamberlain in 1935, right) 

Munich: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (left) and German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler  (right) shake hands in this composite photograph at the 1938 Munich Conference in which Chamberlain agreed to allow Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland

Munich: British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (left) and German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler  (right) shake hands in this composite photograph at the 1938 Munich Conference in which Chamberlain agreed to allow Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland

While the Oscar-winning actor was later seen in between takes as he carried a hot beverage while wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Filming is said to have begun in November with the movie being shot in Germany and across the UK.  

Munich by Robert Harris 

Munich is Robert Harris’ critically-acclaimed 12th thriller.  

The novel documents former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s notorious ‘peace for our time’ trip to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler. 

It follows Hugh Legat, a private secretary to Chamberlain, and Paul von Hartmann, who works at the German Foreign Ministry and is a secret member of a resistance group against Hitler. 

The two men were close friends at Oxford and haven’t spoken in years, but with Europe on the brink of a second war and an emergency meeting in Munich, Hugh and Paul’s paths cross once again as they navigate political subterfuge. 

Munich shows Chamberlain in a far more favourable light than he is usually portrayed by opponents of appeasement, casting him as a formidable, almost heroic figure.  

The book follows the success of Harris’ first hit, Fatherland, which imagined a scenario in which Hitler won World War II.  

2017 best-seller, Munich, follows Hugh Legat, a private secretary to Chamberlain, and Paul von Hartmann, who works at the German Foreign Ministry and is a secret member of a resistance group against Hitler. 

The two men were close friends at Oxford and haven’t spoken in years, but with Europe on the brink of a second war and an emergency meeting in Munich, Hugh and Paul’s paths cross once again as they navigate political subterfuge.  

1917 actor George MacKay will play the role of Hugh Legat with Inglourious Basterds actor Martin Wuttke playing Adolf Hitler.

Other stars involved in the project include The Crown’s Erin Doherty and Allied’s August Diehl.   

It is believed that The Crown director Christian Schwochow will be overseeing the film with Ben Power writing the script adapted from Harris’ novel. 

Talking about Irons taking on the role of Chamberlain, author Harris said in a statement: ‘It’s great to see an actor of Jeremy Irons’ stature playing Neville Chamberlain. 

‘This will be the first time a major movie has gone beyond the cult of Winston Churchill and tried to show Chamberlain in a more sympathetic light.’ 

Harris is a former BBC journalist who wrote about politics before writing his first novel, Fatherland, in 1992, which was made into a film. 

The next one, Enigma, starred Kate Winslet. Daniel Craig was in the television series of the next book, Archangel, about modern Russia. 

Since then Harris has written stories set in the Vatican, the City of London, 19th-century France and a trilogy based around the ancient Roman politician Cicero. 

Unrecognisable! Irons looked almost unrecognisable as he wore a black top hat and sported a grey moustache just like the late Chamberlain on set for the film

Pictured: Irons pictured in February

Unrecognisable! Irons looked almost unrecognisable as he wore a black top hat and sported a grey moustache just like the late Chamberlain on set for the film (pictured on set, left, and in February, right)  

Transformed: The actor further transformed into the former Prime Minister by wearing a black three-piece suit with pinstripe trousers, a grey top topcoat and a dotted cravat-style tie

Transformed: The actor further transformed into the former Prime Minister by wearing a black three-piece suit with pinstripe trousers, a grey top topcoat and a dotted cravat-style tie 

Break: The Oscar-winning actor was later seen in between takes as he carried a hot beverage while wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic

Break: The Oscar-winning actor was later seen in between takes as he carried a hot beverage while wearing a face mask amid the coronavirus pandemic 

Talking about the themes for his novels, the author told Daily Mail’s Event Magazine in 2019: ‘I’m interested in collapses and when things go wrong with a society, whether it’s Nazi Germany or Ancient Rome. The veneer of order cracks, then chaos begins.’  

Harris has sold millions of copies of his books and is said to be worth more than £20 million.  

Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain travelled to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler in a ‘peace for our time’ trip. 

The two leaders met at the now-infamous Munich conference – between Britain, Germany, Italy and France – during which the European powers agreed Germany could take de facto control of Czechoslovakia.

Getting into character: Irons appeared to be getting into character as he puffed on a cigarette, it is not known if this was part of filming and his role

Getting into character: Irons appeared to be getting into character as he puffed on a cigarette, it is not known if this was part of filming and his role

Narrative: Munich shows Chamberlain in a far more favourable light than he is usually portrayed by opponents of appeasement, casting him as a formidable, almost heroic figure

Narrative: Munich shows Chamberlain in a far more favourable light than he is usually portrayed by opponents of appeasement, casting him as a formidable, almost heroic figure 

On his return to Britain a day later, Chamberlain landed at Heston airport, West London, to rapturous applause and waved the signed agreement in the air.

He stated the document was ‘symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again’.

In words that would come to haunt him just a year later he announced: ‘My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is “peace for our time”.’

Star-studded: 1917 actor George MacKay will play the role of Hugh Legat in the Netflix film

Star-studded: 1917 actor George MacKay will play the role of Hugh Legat in the Netflix film 

Chamberlain wrongly believed the agreement would mean an end to Germany’s expansion plans across the continent.

But Hitler did not keep the promises made, and, a year later, derided the agreement as just a ‘scrap of paper’.

He invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany two days later and the Second World War began.

Mr Chamberlain was forced to resign in May 1940 and was succeeded in office by Winston Churchill. He died in November 1940.

Munich is slated for release in 2021.  

Pictured: Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain arriving in London after  travelling to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler in a 'peace for our time' trip

Pictured: Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain arriving in London after  travelling to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler in a ‘peace for our time’ trip 

What happened in Munich 1938? 

Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain travelled to Munich, Germany, in September 1938 to meet Adolf Hitler in a ‘peace for our time’ trip. 

The two leaders met at the now-infamous Munich conference – between Britain, Germany, Italy and France – during which the European powers agreed Germany could take de facto control of Czechoslovakia.

On his return to Britain a day later, Chamberlain landed at Heston airport, West London, to rapturous applause and waved the signed agreement in the air.

He stated the document was ‘symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again’.

In words that would come to haunt him just a year later he announced: ‘My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is “peace for our time”.’

Chamberlain wrongly believed the agreement would mean an end to Germany’s expansion plans across the continent.

But Hitler did not keep the promises made, and, a year later, derided the agreement as just a ‘scrap of paper’.

He invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany two days later and the Second World War began.

Mr Chamberlain was forced to resign in May 1940 and was succeeded in office by Winston Churchill. He died in November 1940.