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The French actor, who has taken on Russian citizenship to avoid taxes, will star in a Czech/Slovak film centered on the events of the Prague Spring in 1968, when Brezhnev sent in Soviet tanks to crush liberalizing reforms initiated by Czechoslovakian leader Alexander Dubcek.

The Hollywood reporter informs Slovak writer Karol Hlavka is working on the script of a yet untitled film, which is to be directed by Croatian helmer Lordan Zafranovic (Occupation in 26 Pictures). The movie will focus on Alexander Dubcek, the leader of Czechoslovakia who, in 1968, embarked on a series of reforms to the communist system aimed at liberalizing political life in the country. Brezhnev, however, brutally crushed the reforms by sending Soviet troops to Prague to clamp down on dissidents. Budgeted at $11.2 million (10 million euros), the film is set to deliver in late 2021.

Andrej Antonio Leka, the film's producer, told the Czech radio station Frekvencе 1 that Depardieu had signed on to play Brezhnev. He added that a "globally known" actor would portray Dubcek but declined to give further details, saying negotiations were still ongoing.