Jessica Chastain’s espionage thriller The 355 with Lupita Nyong’o and Penelope Cruz gets pushed back to a 2022 release date
Universal’s spy thriller film The 355 has been pushed back from its original 2021 release date to January 2022.
Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong’o are the stars alongside Penelope Cruz, and Fan Bingbing.
The film has been directed by The Martian’s Simon Kinberg, who also co-wrote the script with Theresa Rebeck, according to Variety.
Pushed back: The Jessica Chastain-led spy thriller The 355 has been pushed a year back from its original 2021 release date; the actress is seen in the trailer for the film
Chastain is also listed as one of the executive producers for the film alongside Kinberg and Kelly Carmichael.
The film follows a CIA agent who teams up with a number of international spies in order to recover a top-secret and potentially devastating weapon.
The name of the upcoming feature is a nod to Agent 355, a female spy who was a member of the Culper Ring during the American Revolution.
The idea for a female-led spy film was first proposed by Chastain to Kinberg during the production of X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which both were involved in.
Big names: The project is set to star Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong’o alongside Penelope Cruz and Fan Bingbing, among others
The rights to the film were secured by Universal during the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, with the studio reportedly paying over $20 million for the bid.
Other studios that reportedly lobbied for the film rights were Amazon Studios and Global Road Entertainment, among others.
Marion Cotillard, who was originally slated to costar in the film, dropped out before the beginning of production and was replaced by Diane Kruger.
A casting call for male actors was put out in February 2019, with actors Sebastian Stan and Edgar Ramirez being added to the cast in May.
Adding to the cast: Edgar Ramirez and Penelope Cruz signed on to the film shortly before production began
A major bid: Universal Pictures reportedly paid over $20 million dollars to secure the film rights for the project; Diane Kruger is pictured here
Physical production began in 2019, with shooting locations including Morocco, London, and Paris.
Additional filming took place over the summer in London with COVID-19 precautions in place for the cast and crew.
Universal’s release schedule has been heavily impacted by the ongoing status of the global pandemic, with upcoming features, including the ninth film in the Fast and Furious franchise, being pushed to mid-2021.
Sharing The 355’s new January 14 release date will be the upcoming reboot of the Scream franchise, Warner Bros./MGM’s Sesame Street movie, and 20th Century Studios’ animated feature Nimona.
Competition: The 355 will share its new release date with the upcoming Scream reboot and the Sesame Street movie; Fan BingBing is pictured