James Norton is set to star as notorious British conman Robert Hendy-Freegard in the thriller film Chasing Agent Freegard.

The McMafia actor is also serving as a producer on the movie, which is being directed by Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn, creators of AMC's upcoming miniseries The Salisbury Poisonings.

Hendy-Freegard, now 49, masqueraded as a British MI5 agent and managed to trick several people into going undercover for fear of being assassinated by the IRA. According to The Guardian, over a 10-year period he managed to con a total of £1m ($1.25m) out of his victims. In June 2005, he was given a life sentence after being convicted of two counts of kidnapping, 10 of theft, and eight of deception.

Norton told Deadline: "We are so excited to be working with Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn. Their incredible show The Salisbury Poisonings was both gripping as well as deeply human, and showed their unique skill for dramatizing true stories."

Patterson and Lawn added: "As soon as we heard the pitch for Freegard we were hooked. It’s one of the extraordinary stories of our times – a surreal tale of deceit and manipulation played out over many years. James is one of the finest actors around and it will be a true pleasure working with him and the rest of the team at [production companies] Rabbit Track, TDP and Great Point.”

The Salisbury Poisonings, a three-part miniseries telling the true story of a former Russian military officer and his daughter who were poisoned in Salisbury, England in 2018, is due to air on AMC this fall. Anne-Marie Duff, Rafe Spall, and Killing Eve's Darren Boyd lead the cast.

Are you excited to watch James Norton in Chasing Agent Freegard?