Gadot to produce, star in film on Polish woman who saved 2,500 kids from Nazis

Wonder Woman actress forms production company with husband; in its first movie, she will play Righteous Gentile Irena Sendler, who smuggled Jewish children out of Warsaw ghetto

Israeli actress Gal Gadot announced on Friday that she and her husband have formed a new production company whose first film she will star in as a Polish woman credited with saving 2,500 Jewish children from the Holocaust.

The historical thriller, ‘Irena Sendler,’ follows the eponymous heroine beginning with her arrest by the Gestapo at the height of World War II. “The drama becomes a race against time to save not only herself but the identities of the hidden thousands who’ll face certain execution,” the Deadline website summarized.

Sendler was a social worker who smuggled Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany. The children were placed with Christian families and in convents and given new names to hide their identities. Sendler died in 2008.

The Wonder Woman star confirmed the report in an Instagram post. “Pilot Wave is taking off!” Gadot said, referring to the new production company she formed with husband Jaron Varsano. “I’m so excited this is finally out. @jaronvarsano and I have been working on this for quite some time and I just CAN’T wait to bring to life all the amazing stories we’re working on with all of our wonderfully talented partners.”

“As producers, we want to help bring stories that have inspired us to life. Pilot Wave will create content that promotes the perspectives and experiences of unique people and produce impactful stories aimed at igniting the imagination,” she added.

Irena Sendler in 2005. (photo credit: Mariusz Kubik)

Last month, Showtime announced that Gadot will play actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr in a limited series.

The untitled series will look at feminism during Hollywood’s golden age and World War II through Lamarr’s life and work, Showtime said. An airdate was not immediately made public.

In July, it was announced that Gadot will star in the biggest feature film ever made by Netflix, “Red Notice,” also starring Ryan Reynolds and Dwayne Johnson. The action thriller, set for release in late 2020, is centered around the pursuit of the most wanted art thief in the world.

AP and JTA contributed to this report.

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