Paul Mescal is to star in A Spy by Nature, a "sexy, dangerous, morally ambivalent" spy thriller from Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Mauritanian, The Last King of Scotland, One Day in September).
The Hollywood Reporter says the film is adapted from the first novel in Charles Cumming's best-selling Alec Milius spy series.
Mescal's character Milius is described as "a disillusioned twenty-something whose gift for deception catches the eye of MI6".
"As his web of lies grows, Alec is forced to confront his own nature - whether he can be a good man as well as a good spy," says the Hollywood Reporter.
"I've wanted to make A Spy by Nature for many years - and when I met Paul Mescal, with his beguiling mixture of intelligence, skill and youth, I knew I'd found the perfect star," said director Macdonald.
"This is a very modern spy story - sexy, dangerous, morally ambivalent - and only an actor of Paul's talent could pull it off."
Mescal is among the Irish nominees at next month's Gotham Awards in New York.
He is shortlisted for his performance in the acclaimed father-daughter drama Aftersun.
It is due for release in cinemas on Friday 18 November.
