It's been announced that SHAZAM! actor Zachary Levi is slipping out of his cape and red pajamas to join the cast of PRISONER 760, a true-life legal drama from director Kevin Macdonald. Upon signing onto the 30West, Topic Studios and BBC Film project, Levi will act alongside other members of the movie's already star-studded cast, of which includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley and Tahar Rahim.
THR broke the news about Levi's involvement on Friday. The site also shared that PRISONER 760 will be framed as "a fight for survival against impossible odds." According to THR's report, PRISONER 760 tells the true tale of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man who was captured by the U.S. government and held for years without charge or trial.
Slahi finds unlikely allies in defense attorneys Nancy Hollander and her associate Teri Duncan, being played by Foster and Woodley, respectively, who desperately pursue justice. They are aided by a military prosecutor named Lt. Stuart Couch (Cumberbatch).
For the adaptation of Mohamedou Ould Slahi's memoir, "Guantánamo Diary," Levi will play an old friend of the prosecutor's, a federal agent by the name of Neil Buckland.
Penning the script is Michael Bronner, a former 60 Minutes producer who in the past has joined forces with Paul Greengrass for true-life adaptations like UNITED 93, GREEN ZONE, and the biographical crime drama CAPTAIN PHILLIPS starring Tom Hanks. Bronner's script won't be a solo effort, mind you, as both Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani have made revisions to the final draft.
In addition to acting in the film, Cumberbatch will also produce with Adam Ackland and Leah Clarke courtesy of their SunnyMarch banner. Meanwhile, Lloyd Levin and Beatriz Levin of Black Sheep Pictures, Mark Holder and Christine Holder of Wonder Street, and Branwen Prestwood Smith are also producing, with Slahi serving as co-producer.
Filming for PRISONER 760 is currently taking place in South Afirca, though no release window for the movie has been shared at this time.