Al Pacino, Meadow Williams Star In MoviePass Films Drama ‘Axis Sally’

EXCLUSIVE: Al Pacino and Meadow Williams will star in Axis Sally, a Michael Polish-directed drama for MoviePass Films based on the true story of a woman who unwittingly became the voice of German propaganda targeted to American troops during WWII. Williams will play Mildred ‘Axis Sally’ Gillars and Pacino will play the attorney who represented her once she was arrested and put on trial in the States. Swen Temmel is also joining the cast. Swen Temmel rounds out the cast of the $25 million budget film.

Vance Owen and Darryl Hicks wrote the script, based on the book Axis Sally Confidential by William Owen. Randall Emmett and George Furla will produce with Vance Owen and Tucker Tooley. Ted Farnsworth will executive produce alongside Meadow Williams, Lydia Hull, and MoviePass Films’ Tim Sullivan and Alex Eckert.

Axis Sally, which is set to shoot January 22, is the latest addition to MoviePass Films’ already very ambitious slate. Recently MoviePass Films entered into a two picture deal with Neon to acquire Monsters and Men and Border. Monsters and Men was released theatrically September 28 and Border was released last week. The Bruce Willis and Michael Chiklis starrer 10 Minutes Gone is currently in post-production and Neil Marshall’s return to the horror genre, The Reckoning, is currently in pre-production in the United Kingdom. Emmett Furla Oasis is in post on The Irishman at Netflix and MoviePass Films wrapped the Mel Gibson-starrer Boss Level.

Axis Sally revolves around the controversial figure Mildred Gillars. After going to drama school in Ohio she traveled throughout Europe following her dream of fame before settling in WWII-era Germany with a job working as an actress on Radio Berlin, introducing records and musical performances and blanketing the world with messages that many deemed treasonous. Gillars became known to American soldiers as “Axis Sally,” the voice behind the Third Reich’s propaganda. Gillars attempted to leave but Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels threatened her with death should she try to defect. After the war, Gillars was arrested and returned to the U.S. and put on trial for treason. US authorities maintained that she was a traitor, whereas Gillars insisted that she was merely an actress in the wrong place at the wrong time, forced to swear loyalty to Germany against her will.

Pacino is repped by CAA. Polish is ICM Partners and MPE.