Jessica Alba (Trigger Warning) has signed on to lead action thriller The Mark, a spy flick set to begin production in Australia in July.

In the film from director Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Alba plays Eden, an enigmatic spy on a covert and dangerous mission. When Eden pulls single father Ben Dawson into her world of high-stakes espionage, his life is turned upside down. Mistaken for the world’s deadliest assassin, Ben becomes the perfect decoy for Eden. She uses the mix-up to expose a powerful network of corrupt politicians, placing Ben in the crosshairs of the CIA, Interpol, and ruthless crime syndicates. With enemies closing in from all sides, Eden must keep Ben alive long enough to complete her mission — while Ben must summon his inner action hero to stay alive and return to the person who matters most: his daughter.

Ronnie Christensen (Passengers, Incarnate) penned the script. Arianne Fraser (Land of Bad) and Delphine Perrier (Arcadian) will produce for Highland Film Group, alongside Kia Jam (The Misfits, Lucky Number Slevin) of K. Jam Media. Henry Winterstern will exec produce for Highland Film Group, which is co-financing the project alongside Aperture Media Partners. Hoodlum is handling local production services.

A Golden Globe nominee who has appeared in over 25 films to date, Alba most recently exec produced and starred in the Netflix thriller Trigger Warning, which debuted at #1 in 67 countries and has been viewed over 91 million times globally. Next up, she’ll be seen in Maserati: The Brothers opposite Anthony Hopkins and Andy Garcia. The star launched her production company Lady Metalmark Entertainment in 2024.

An Emmy nominee, Chadwick’s feature credits include historical romantic dramas Tulip Fever and The Other Boleyn Girl, as well as the Idris Elba starrer Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Highland Film Group’s current slate also includes Martin Campbell’s Dedication starring Daisy Ridley; Adrian Grunberg’s Protector starring Milla Jovovich; Justin Chadwick’s Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland; action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; Allan Ungar’s action-comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut starring Kate Mara and Lawrence Fishburne, which is coming off its premiere at SXSW.

Jam’s most recent films, Killer’s Game and The Strangers: Chapter 1, were released by Lionsgate last year. Upcoming projects include Easy’s Waltz with Al Pacino, two more Strangers films, and The Day the Clown Cried.

Alba is repped by UTA, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Chadwick by Independent Talent Group and UTA; and Christensen by Kaplan/Perrone.

By Matt Grobar, Deadline