James Nelson-Joyce and Emily Fairn will lead Thomas Napper’s darkly comic period heist The Man Who Stole Portugal, also starring Richard E. Grant and Dominic West.

Principal photography is now underway on the movie, written by Richard Galazka, with Beta Cinema set to launch the project to international buyers in Cannes.

The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.

This City is Ours and A Thousand Blows star Nelson-Joyce will play Reis, a self-made outsider with a genius for turning a closed door into an opportunity. “Shut out and underestimated, Reis is determined to give his wife Maria (Fairn) and their family the life they deserve,” a plot synopsis reads. “Hustle by hustle, he begins to invent his way upwards. From forged credentials to official contracts, his journey takes him via colonial backwaters all the way to the boardrooms of the Bank of Portugal — until his greatest bluff becomes one of the greatest cons in history.”

Grant (Saltburn) and West (The Crown) will play Sir William and Carlos, respectively. They’re joined by Joel Fry (Game of Thrones) as Jose, Herbert Nordrum (The Worst Person in the World) as Karel, Kim Bodnia (F1) as Adolf and Nia Towle (Rings of Power) as Fie.

The production will shoot in the U.K., Portugal and South Africa as the story sweeps from the glamor and political turbulence of 1920s Lisbon to colonial Angola and the elite printing houses of London.

Reis’ adventure feels particularly pertinent for modern-day audiences, Napper said. “[He] is fascinating because he doesn’t set out to destroy the system, he wants a way into it,” the director continued. “He wants security, respect and a future for his family. That feels very alive now, when so many people feel the odds are stacked against them.”

“What makes the story so thrilling is watching an outsider learn how to open those doors, bluff by bluff, and for a while make the system work for him. It’s outrageous and funny, but it also speaks to something very current: who gets access, who gets shut out, and what people will do to cross that line,” added Napper.

Michael Elliott produces The Man Who Stole Portugal for EMU Films, with Walli Ullah and Jim Mooney as executive producers. Terry Smith is an executive producer and also finances via Moviedrome.