Netflix picks up new World War 2 drama starring Colin Firth

Colin Firth in Before I Go to Sleep
(Image credit: StudioCanal)

Netflix has picked up the upcoming World War 2 movie Operation Mincemeat starring Colin Firth, Deadline reports. Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Jason Isaacs, Johnny Flynn, and Mark Gatiss also star in the historical drama.

Set in 1943 when things were make or break for the Allies fighting Hitler in Europe, the movie is based on real events. The story follows intelligence officers Ewen Montagu (Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Macfadyen) who come up with an improbable disinformation strategy centered on an unlikely secret agent – a dead man. Their plan helped turn the tide of the whole war.

The movie comes from the same production company as The King's Speech, the 2010 historical drama that won Firth the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of King George VI. It was directed by John Madden, whose previous work includes the Academy Award-winning Shakespeare in Love (in which Firth also starred) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Operation Mincemeat is the director's first movie since 2016's Miss Sloane with Jessica Chastain.

Meanwhile, Firth's most recent performance was in 2020's Supernova, as the long-term partner of a man (played by Stanley Tucci) who develops early-onset dementia. He also had a role in the recent adaptation of The Secret Garden. 

Operation Mincemeat will be coming to Netflix US soon, although the movie doesn't have an official release date. It will join other new additions to the platform including the Liam Neeson-led action thriller The Ice Road, which Netflix recently bought for a record-breaking deal.

While we wait for Operation Mincemeat to hit the streamer, check out our list of the best Netflix movies you can watch right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

Read more
Number 24
New Netflix drama is climbing up the global top 10 with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and harrowing true story
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix wants Daniel Craig to join the cast of Greta Gerwig's Narnia movie – but it's not certain if he'll take it
Black Bag
This new spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender earns near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score with glowing first reviews
Taron Egerton in Carry-On
Netflix's new number 1 movie may be a Christmas thriller, but it's still topping the streamer's charts after the holidays
Oppenheimer
Netflix CCO claims that Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer would have had same cultural impact if it was a Netflix exclusive
The Bear
The Bear star will lead a new Netflix series based on a book by Call Me By Your Name author
Latest in Drama Movies
Matt Damon in The Odyssey
Christopher Nolan is "like an indie filmmaker" with a huge budget says The Odyssey star: "He's not doing it by committee"
Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez
Netflix CEO breaks silence on the streamer's continuing Best Picture dry streak: "We have to make a movie that people love"
Robert De Niro and Debra Messing in The Alto Knights
Robert De Niro talks embodying his "mythological" gangsters in The Alto Knights, whose real conflict inspired The Godfather
Robert De Niro in The Alto Knights
Robert De Niro talks playing dual roles in his new gangster movie from the co-writer of Goodfellas and Casino – and his surprising personal connection to the film
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
28 Years Later release date, trailer, cast, and everything else we know so far about Danny Boyle's zombie horror sequel
Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The 32 greatest Ben Affleck movies
Latest in News
Posing with a rifle in the Fallout 76 Ghoul update
Fallout 76's art director "had to fight really hard" so Bethesda would make the MMO's map bigger than Skyrim's
Minecraft movie image of Jack Black as steve
Don't expect Minecraft to go free-to-play anytime soon, as Mojang says "It doesn't really work with the way we built it"
Yasuke looking over the water to a shrine during sunset in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows has an entire island stuffed with adorable kittens you need to check out, and it's based on an actual Japanese cat paradise
phase zero key art showing zombies in a hallway
Former Witcher 3 and Dying Light devs reveal their Resident Evil homage, complete with PS1-style fixed cameras
Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System was only created because WB Games wanted something to combat Batman Arkham Asylum's second-hand sales, exec says
First-person screenshot from ASYLUM, showing the protagonist's hand holding up a notebook while walking through a dark corridor.
After 15 years and a $120,000 Kickstarter push, this cult horror dev has finally released a successor to their 2006 breakout game