'Lives of Others' director to helm 'The Tourist' with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp

The many machinations of the spy flick The Tourist seem to all be coming to a head. Graham King’s GK Films has just confirmed that German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who previously exited the film during its development stage, is back on top of the production.

He will oversee the A-list cast of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in a story line that sees Depp playing an American tourist lured into a nefarious plot of intrigue by a female Interpol agent (Jolie) as she attempts to locate a criminal. Avatar’s Sam Worthington was previously attached to play Depp’s character and at one point the producers were talking to Alfonso Cuaron to take over directing duties.

Donnersmarck won an Academy Award in 2007 for Best Foreign Language Film for his writing/directing debut The Lives of Others. The Tourist will be distributed by Sony as part of King’s output deal with the studio. The Tourist is expected to begin principal photography in the spring.