Daisy Ridley's Original Film Idea 'Magpie' Moves Ahead With Shazad Latif

Actress Daisy Ridley has an original idea for a movie and it's slowly but surely finding its footing.

The “Star Wars” alum came up with the idea for a “contemporary noir thriller” and some serious star power had been attached to the project.

As reported by Deadline, Sam Yates will make his feature directorial debut in the project. Tom Bateman wrote the script from Ridley’s ideas. Shazad Latif and Matilda Lutz are among the cast members attached to the project so far.

According to Deadline, Ridley’s new movie “follows a couple whose lives are thrown into disarray when their daughter is cast opposite a controversial major star.”

The movie is scheduled to start shooting in London early next year. The title will be available for buyers to purchase at the Cannes market later this month. Ridley and Bateman are both serving as producers on the film. Kate Solomon of 55 films will also be serving as producer.

In a statement made by all three producers, “Our aim with Magpie is to make a Hitchcockian thriller that will take audiences on a genuine ride – fast-paced and beautiful to look at with a tension that will build from the start and keep everyone guessing to the very end.”

Yates added, “I immediately connected with Tom Bateman’s ingenious, intoxicating script. I’m excited to take audiences on a wild, surprising thrill ride with our stellar cast led by the incomparable Daisy Ridley.”

Earlier this week, the “Chaos Walking” star took to Instagram to hype the project.

In an Instagram post, Daisy shared screenshots of the Deadline article, including the statements posted above, and a behind-the-scenes snap of her working on the script, surrounded by post-it notes.

“Very, very, very excited to be part of a completely brilliant team and project from its inception. Cannot wait to bring this script to life!” she wrote in the caption. “Swipe for our first proper script meeting ?”

Joonas Suotamo, who took over the role of Chewbacca from the late Peter Mayhew, commented, “Awesome! Congratulations to you both, Shazad is great!”

“Frozen” voice actor Josh Gad commented, “So excited about this!!”

“Congrats Daisy! So proud of you and your team!!!” one fan wrote.

“Wow! Really cool idea! Can't wait to hear and see more of this soon! Hope it goes smoothly this project!” commented another fan.

”You guys worked so hard for this it’s going to be amazing,” said a third fan.

In the meantime, Daisy has been working hard on another film too.

Daisy showed off her latest role in “The Young Woman and the Sea” with a few slides of the work she's doing for her new movie. She captioned the post: “Research for ‘The Young Woman and the Sea’. ?‍♀️?Thrilled to be a part of this beautiful film and this incredible story,” Ridley wrote in the caption. “Slide 1. Trudy ?? 2. still the biggest ticker tape parade in NY for any athlete! ?? 3. ?!?!?! ?? 4. ?!?!?!??!??!??”

The third slide shows a headline that reads “Girl Athletes Headed For Sex Extinction Says Scientist.” The fourth slide shows women at a protest holding up various signs. One sign says, “Women Athletes Are Not Good Mothers.” Another sign says, “Women Athletes Will Learn How To Cook And Sew.”

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Glenn Stout. The book tells the story of Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle, who is played by Daisy Ridley. In 1926, she became the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. Ederle was the daughter of a German butcher from Manhattan who became a competitive swimmer that won the gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games. Ederle first swam 22 miles from Battery Park, New York to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and set an 81-year record before she eventually attempted to cross the English Channel.

In early May, Deadline reported that “Doctor Who” star Chris Eccleston will join the cast. Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Stephen Graham are also set to star. The film will be directed by Joachim Rønning and is currently in production. No release date has yet to be announced.