Helen Mirren will play a former Mossad agent who must cover up the re-emergence of a Nazi war criminal after 30 years in John Madden's thriller The Debt, according to Variety.

The story centres on a squad of agents, of which Mirren's character is a member, who failed to capture their target more than three decades previously. When he re-emerges, she is sent scrambling to cover her tracks before the truth can be revealed.

The film is being produced by Stardust director Matthew Vaughn, who is also writing the script with regular collaborator Jane Goldman.

Dame Helen has a supporting role in the forthcoming fantasy Inkheart, and will play Sofia Tolstoy in the historical drama The Last Station, which centres on the great Russian writer. She also has a role in the forthcoming Hollywood remake of the classic 2003 BBC TV mini-series State of Play, which will star Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck.