Prometheus and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo star Noomi Rapace and Past Lives breakout Teo Yoo are set to star in the espionage action thriller Stratagem.

The film will be directed by novelist and filmmaker Michael Idov (The Humorist, Jetlag) and written by Michael and Lily Idov, the writing team whose credits include the German spy series Deutschland 89 and the Cannes title Leto, also starring Yoo. It’s being produced by Oscar-nominee David Lancaster (Whiplash, Nightcrawler, Drive) and Matt Leipzig (I See You, Joyland).

Highland Film Group is handling international rights, with CAA Media Finance repping the U.S.

Stratagem is set an exclusive cybersecurity summit nestled in the Swiss Alps. The story follows CIA agent Stella Turner (Rapace) as she goes undercover to seduce and recruit enigmatic tech savant Daniel Sim (Yoo), whose genius may be the key to stopping a catastrophic leak of U.S. defense secrets. But the tables turn fast: Daniel is no ordinary target — he’s a master manipulator with a secret of his own. As the line between ally and adversary blurs, seduction turns into full-blown psychological warfare, and Stella finds herself walking into a trap of global proportions.

“What begins as two people flirting in a bar becomes recruitment, rivalry, a hostage situation, a rescue, and finally world-altering romance — all in a matter of hours. And, in Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo, I have the best imaginable actors to bring these characters to life,” said director Idov.

“As soon as we read Idovs’ page-turning script for Stratagem, we knew we wanted to make this movie, so audiences around the world could share our excitement. Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo are the perfect artists to realize Michael Idov’s vision for an intense, sophisticated espionage thriller,” said producers Lancaster and Leipzig.

The film is being executive produced by Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier for Highland Film Group and Julie Kroll.

“Stratagem is an incredibly cool, sleek, elevated and intense espionage thriller where nothing — and no one — are what they seem. It’s a taut, edge of your seat spy thriller full of twists and turns that ratchets up the tension scene by scene,” said Highland Film Group CEO Fraser.

“Michael Idov has assembled a truly stellar cast led by Noomi Rapace and Teo Yoo to bring his fresh take on a beloved genre to life. We are delighted to be working with producer David Lancaster who continues to be a guiding force behind some of today’s most innovative films — it’s the perfect addition to our Cannes slate,” added company COO Perrier.

By Alex Ritman, Variety