This City Is Ours star James Nelson-Joyce stars in first look at new true story heist drama

This City is Ours and A Thousand Blows star James Nelson-Joyce has landed a new film role alongside Richard E Grant and Dominic West – and first-look images have just been released.

Nelson-Joyce will take the lead role in a new "darkly comic period heist" titled The Man Who Stole Portugal, which is inspired by "one of the most audacious financial frauds in history".

He will play Alves Reis, who is described as "an ambitious young outsider determined to build a better life for his wife and their family" and the image – which you can see above – shows the grand opening of his Bank of Angola and Metropole.

The cast for the film also includes House of Guinness's Emily Fairn as Reis's wife Maria, Bank of Dave's Joel Fry as his friend and business partner Jose and Sense and Sensibility's Herbert Nordrum as a a flamboyant diplomat named Karel.

The aforementioned Grant plays Sir William Waterlow, the head of a British printing firm while West is Carlos, a newspaper editor whose publication eventually helps expose the fraud.

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There are also roles for Kim Bodnia (Killing Eve) and Nia Towle (Persuasion), while the film is directed by Thomas Napper, whose previous credits include films Jawbone and Widow Clicquot and four episodes of The Wheel of Time.

The full synopsis reads: "In the economic turmoil of 1920s Portugal, Reis discovers how far a forged qualification and a convincing bluff can take him.

"But what begins as a bid to escape poverty becomes a financial fraud of extraordinary proportions, as Reis secretly acquires millions in genuine Bank of Portugal banknotes, amassing a fortune that threatens to destabilise the country’s entire financial system.

"Celebrated as a financial visionary, Reis begins lending money to people the established banks have turned away, winning the admiration of a country desperate for change.

"But behind his extraordinary rise lies a fraud of unimaginable scale, and the growing question of just how far he can push his luck before it all comes crashing down."

Speaking about the film, Nelson-Joyce said he was drawn to the film because of how difficult the character was to pin down.

"I could really connect with his frustration at being underestimated, and that determination to prove people wrong," he said.

"What I found fascinating was how he manages to convince himself that everything he's doing is justified, even as the stakes become enormous.

"It's a remarkable story, but what makes it so entertaining is that you're never quite sure whether to cheer Alves on or beg him to stop.”

The film has just wrapped production following a shoot across the UK, Portugal and South Africa although no release date has been confirmed at this stage. We'll share an update when something is announced!

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Authors

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.