''Deep Cover'' is a 2025 British

action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...

film starring

Bryce Dallas Howard Bryce Dallas Howard (born March 2, 1981) is an American actress and director. The eldest child of filmmaker Ron Howard, she studied acting at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. While portraying Characters in As You Like It#Rosali ...

Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film series (2001–03). He reprised his r ...

and

Nick Mohammed Nicholas George Mohammed is a British actor, comedian and writer. He has portrayed the character Mr. Swallow across both stage and television for over a decade. He is the creator of the Sky One comedy series ''Intelligence (British TV series), ...

improv Improv may refer to: *Improvisation, an act of spontaneous invention **Improvisational theatre (includes improvisational comedy) **Musical improvisation Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of im ...

actors recruited by the police for undercover operations in the London criminal underworld, where they must use their skills to infiltrate a gang.

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for playing antiheros in independent films. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard British ...

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor. His television performances include the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and its 2019 film continuation, and M ...

and

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. Retaining his ...

appear in supporting roles. The film was directed by Tom Kingsley and written by

Colin Trevorrow Colin Trevorrow (; born September 13, 1976) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He made his feature directorial debut with the science fiction comedy ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' (2012) to critical and commercial success. Trevo ...

Derek Connolly Derek Connolly (born c. 1976) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, and has written the films ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' (2012), '' Jurassic World'' (2015) and its se ...

, Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen. ''Deep Cover'' was released worldwide on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

on 12 June 2025.

Plot

Kat Boyles, a struggling stand-up comedian and improv teacher in London, is approached by Detective Sergeant Graham Billings of the Metropolitan Police to recruit actors for low-level sting operations. She enlists two students—Marlon Swift, an aspiring actor, and Hugh, a socially awkward IT worker—to form a trio. The group is sent to investigate a shop selling counterfeit cigarettes, which leads them to Fly, a mid-level criminal dealer. When Fly offers them stolen cocaine to offload, Kat cons the rival Albanian gang into buying back their own drugs. Impressed, Fly recruits the trio, and Billings encourages them to continue undercover. Operating under aliases, they intimidate a man named Sagar, who dies while fleeing. Mistaken for professional criminals by police, the trio gain credibility within Fly's circle. They are later sent to negotiate with another dealer, but the deal collapses. Kat discovers Billings is corrupt and using them for personal gain. He is soon killed by Fly's associate, Shosh. Metcalfe, Fly's boss, attempts to identify Billings' associates using his phone and orders the trio's execution. Instead, Fly lets them go. The group is captured by police but face charges without proof of their involvement with Billings. Kat convinces Fly to wear a wire during a meeting with the Albanians in exchange for immunity. During the deal, the trio intervene to protect Fly as police arrest the criminals. Metcalfe is killed by Shosh, who escapes. Fly, learning the trio are improv actors, rewards them with cash. In the aftermath, Marlon pursues acting, Hugh opens a wine shop, and Kat gains new students amid rumours of her undercover work. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Dawes leads the official investigation, attempting to piece together the web of deception.

Cast

Production

The film was announced in February 2024, with Tom Kingsley set to direct. It was based on an original story by

and

, and written by British comedy duo Ben Ashenden and

Alexander Owen Alexander Owen (29 April 1851 – 29 July 1920) was an English brass band conductor, arranger and cornet player. It was said that he "bestrode the banding world for over 50 years."

. The project was produced by Trevorrow through Metronome Film Co., alongside Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald, with Annys Hamilton serving as co-producer. The main cast—

Sonoya Mizuno Sonoya Mizuno (born 1 July 1986) is a Japanese-born English actress. She is known for her roles in the Netflix series ''Maniac (miniseries), Maniac'' (2018), the HBO series ''House of the Dragon'' (2022–present), the FX on Hulu, FX miniseries ...

and Ben Rufus Green—was announced on 1 February 2024.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on 5 February 2024 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Release

''Deep Cover'' was released globally on

on 12 June 2025. The film premiered exclusively on the streaming platform as part of Prime Video's 2025 summer slate of original British productions.

Reception

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Deep Cover (upcoming film) British comedy films Films shot in London Films shot in England Films with screenplays by Colin Trevorrow Films produced by Walter F. Parkes