Wonder Woman 1984 star Gal Gadot is set to enter the spy genre with Skydance Media's Heart of Stone, a thriller described as a female spin on the James Bond and Mission: Impossible franchises. Now, Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Heart of Stone following a competitive auction for the espionage film.
Skydance's Heart of Stone was first announced in early December 2020 after Gadot closed an eight-figure deal to star in the project. Directed by Wild Rose helmer Tom Harper from a script penned by The Old Guard scribe Greg Rucka and Academy Award-nominated writer of Hidden Figures Allison Schroeder, Heart of Stone aspires to mark the beginning of a new franchise with the global scope and action scale of the aforementioned 007 and Mission: Impossible films.
With the new deal between Netflix and Skydance, first reported by Deadline, Heart of Stone will become the latest Gadot feature film to head to the streamer following Red Notice, a comedy thriller co-starring Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds. In addition to leading Heart of Stone, Gadot will serve on the project as a producer alongside Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger as well as Jaron Varsano, Bonnie Curtis, and Julie Lynn. Skydance previously collaborated with Netflix as the producers of the streamer's hit films 6 Underground and The Old Guard. The studio is currently in the midst of production on an untitled time-traveling film for Netflix starring Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy.
Gal Gadot most recently appeared in Warner Bros. and DC's Wonder Woman 1984, which premiered on December 25 on HBO Max day-and-date with select U.S. theaters following multiple delays throughout 2020. The long-awaited sequel fared well for the WarnerMedia streamer according to the results of a Screen Engine survey, which found a significant number of customers either signed on or retained their subscription to the service specifically to watch Wonder Woman 1984 on its debut weekend. Unfortunately, the Wonder Woman sequel has experienced steady declines at the box office, which may be attributed to theater closings across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nonetheless, Warner Bros. evidently hasn't lost confidence in the viability of the Wonder Woman franchise. The studio confirmed plans for a third Wonder Woman film shortly after 1984's debut, with Gadot and director Patty Jenkins returning.
Netflix's Heart of Stone is only the latest project Gadot has managed to line-up for herself. The Israeli actress is also reteaming with Jenkins on a biographical drama centered on Egyptian ruler Cleopatra.
Heart of Stone is in development at Skydance.
Source: Deadline