With Director Steven Soderbergh’s Informant! opening at the Venice Film Festival with rave reviews, it’s no wonder he  has committed to next direct Knockout, a spy thriller. The will mark starring debut of Gina Carano, the mixed martial arts circuit fighter. 

Soderbergh is working toward a late January production start.

Knockout is written by Lem Dobbs (Kafka and The Limey), which casts Carano as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is given a second chance to use her skills for constructive purposes. My immediate thought was another Million Dollar Baby, but according to Variety, that is not the case. The movie will be more like La Femme Nikita and Kill Bill. No fighting rings just espionage, straight to the chase action film in the James Bond mold, shooting in locations around the world that include Ireland, Turkey and the U.S.