Production on the feature film Official Secrets, starring Harrison Ford and Anthony Hopkins, and which had been scheduled to begin principal photography in the UK this month, has now halted, the Knowledge has learned.

The spy thriller was set in 2003 and centred on Katherine Gun, an officer at GCHQ who leaked a crucial email in the lead-up to the UN”s vote on whether to sanction the Iraq war.

The film had a weighty line-up of A-listers on board, including Anthony Hopkins, Paul Bettany, Harrison Ford, Martin Freeman and Natalie Dormer. Director Justin Chadwick, recently best known for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Tulip Fever, was also attached, as was producer Elizabeth Fowler.

The team had moved into their production office in central London, with UK HoDs readying for filming in the next couple of months, but it is understood they have now moved out.

Reasons for the suspension of the project are as yet unknown, although funding issues and talent availability often play a part in late-in-the-day delays or cancellations.

Keep an eye on PI as there will be updates if and when this project should get back up.

Harrison Ford picture via Getty Images Ent/Dave J Hogan.