Deadline revealed in an exclusive that CNN has announced a debut date for upcoming Dan Vernon (28 Days Later, Wonderland) documentary The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door, along with a trailer ahead of its Sunday, July 12 at 8pm ET/PT release. Following the release, the CNN Films documentary will launch on the CNN app the following day.
Watch the trailer below, from CNN on YouTube.
Per Deadline, the documentary explores the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack, which led to the attempted poisoning of former Russian military officer and British intelligence services double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. The two were poisoned in Salisbury, England, leading to the British government accusing Russia of orchestrating the attempt at assassinating Skripal and swiftly plunging the English city into the chaos carried by a geopolitical crisis. The chain of events is traced together through first-hand testimony from several individuals affected by the case, including journalists, senior intelligence officials, counterterrorism leaders, and victims – tracing the thread of the event’s continued impact.
Also taking part in the documentary, as listed by Deadline, are; former National Security Adviser Mark Sedwill, former Home Secretary Amber Rudd, former MI6 chiefs John Sawers and Richard Dearlove, former Head of Counter Terrorism Policing Neil Basu, and former UK Prime Minister Theresa May. Included as well with the interviews are exclusive scenes and interviews with investigative journalist Christo Grozev (Navalny, ) and the partner of poisoning victim Dawn Sturgess, Charlie Rowley.
From Deadline, director Vernon provided a statement on the documentary:
“While the film tells the dramatic story of the assassination attempt and the investigation, it is ultimately about the people, from the two men whose intertwined fates reveal a Russia wrestling with its past and future, to the residents of Salisbury, a cathedral city unexpectedly thrust onto the global stage. What fascinated me most was how an event that unfolded in a small corner of the UK became an international crisis, exposing fault lines that continue to impact our world.”
The project was highlighted for its work on storytelling – being able to shed light on a historical moment using direct testimonials for a better understanding of the geopolitical tensions that define today’s world. All in all, the documentary is positively anticipated in the aspiration of seeing the human faces and community behind the consequences that were felt from the lowest to highest levels of society.
Per Deadline, the film is developed and produced by Alex Brisland (Art That Made Us, A Life in Ten Pictures). It is the product of Passion Pictures, made for CNN Films in partnership with West Buttermilk and Propagate Content. As listed, executive producers are as follows; Hamish Fergusson (Rebel Nun, Genderquake), Kari Lia (Day Zero, Billionaire’s Paradise: Inside Necker Island), Andrew Ruhemann (Love, Death & Robots, The Lost Thing), and David Moulton (Antidote, The Accidental Spy) for Passion; Howard Owens (30 Days, Jackie) and Ben Silverman (The Office, MacGruber) for Propagate; Roxanna Sherwood (GameStopped, Mike Tyson: The Knockout) and Amy Entelis (Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever, Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia) for CNN Films, and James Packer (The Lego Movie, The Revenant) for West Buttermilk.