The “honey trap” has long been a staple in spy fiction for nearly a century. The femme fatale trained in the art of seduction acting as a double agent vs. the aloof, professional spy whose only weakness is a great pair of legs or eyes or nostrils or whatever. Red Sparrow, based on the novel of the same name by veteran CIA officer Jason Matthews, brings this kind of film noir tale into the modern day: Jennifer Lawrence will play Russian intelligence officer Dominkia Egorova, who becomes a sort of reluctant Mata Hari and is assigned to an American CIA agent. The Hunger Games’ Francis Lawrence is directing, and the film just cast Jeremy Irons and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Before you get all worried about the Predator part of that headline, rest assured that it’s good news: Fox has actually moved Shane Black’s sequel up by almost an entire month, putting it in early February 2018, likely hoping to replicate the success of similar R-rated fare like Kingsman and Deadpool. The studio has also announced new release dates for two untitled Marvel projects and Robert Rodriguez’s Alita Battle Angel, as well as the spy thriller Red Sparrow.