Israeli helmer Eran Riklis is prepping Spider In The Web, a contemporary spy thriller with Ben Kingsley, Monica Bellucci and Israeli actor Itay Tiran (Lebanon) attached to star. Shooting begins in the spring on the Israel/Belgium/Holland/Portugal co-production. Fabien Westerhoff’s Film Constellation is co-financing and handling worldwide sales, introducing the project at the EFM next month.

Kingsley plays a once highly-lauded secret agent, Adereth, who’s is deemed to be past his prime by his superiors. An opportunity for last-minute redemption presents itself in a covert mission as he discovers a lead on the sale of chemical weapons to a Middle Eastern dictatorship. But with Mossad placing young agent Daniel (Iran) on his tail, and his target, the enigmatic Angela (Bellucci) blurring lines, Adereth begins to realize the hunter may become the hunted.

Riklis is the award winning director of such films as Lemon Tree, The Syrian Bride and Dancing Arabs. He’s helming from a script by Gidon Maron and Emmanuel Nakkache that’s inspired by true events.

Michael Sharfshtein of Topia Communications and Riklis produce alongside Moshe and Leon Edery of United King Films, Jacqueline de Goeij for Cine Cri de Coeur, Sabine Brian and Ronald Versteeg for NL Films and Eyal Edery for Dragocom. Executive producers are Ira Riklis, Dana Lustig and Westerhoff.