Helen Mirren to star as author Patricia Highsmith in Switzerland

Helen Mirren will portray the role of acclaimed author Patricia Highsmith in the upcoming thriller Switzerland. The film, directed by Anton Corbijn, will be depicting a fictional encounter with a persistent literary agent. Switzerland is Anton's first feature in eight years. 

According to reports, Helen will play the role of the reclusive author, best known for her novels about amoral con artist Tom Ripley, in an adaptation of Joanna Murray-Smith's stage play of the same name.

In Switzerland, Patricia meets with a literary agent while living in self-imposed exile in the place. The agent persuades her to write one last Ripley novel, and although she tries to scare him away, the duo end up collaborating and creating a twisted world of their own. 

A famous misanthrope, Patricia Highsmith was a prolific writer of psychological thrillers, many of which have been adapted for Hollywood films. In 1999, The Talented Mr Ripley was adapted from her Ripley series of novels, and it starred Matt Damon in the title role.