Colin Farrell continues his busy schedule as the Oscar-nominated actor is set to star in Netflix’s The Ballad of a Small Player, with Edward Berger directing, Deadline reports. Rowan Joffé will adapt the script from Lawrence Osborne’s titular novel.

The story follows a high-stakes gambler and con man who poses as a member of the British aristocracy. On the run in his native England, he flees to the Chinese gambling epicentre Macau. There, he encounters a kindred spirit who potentially holds the skeleton key to his salvation.

Producers include Berger for his Nine Hours banner, Mike Goodridge for Good Chaos and Matthew James Wilkinson for Stigma Films.

The Ballad Of A Small Player is the next project for Berger, following his 2022 adaptation of All Quiet On The Western Front, which was released to widespread acclaim.

Berger’s next film is the Vatican City thriller Conclave, which releases this Autumn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini.

Farrell currently stars on the Apple TV+ drama series Sugar, which premiered this month, and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Martin McDonagh’s 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin. His upcoming projects include the Max series The Penguin, in which he reprises the title character that he played in The Batman and a role opposite Margot Robbie in the romantic fantasy A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, from After Yang director Kogonada.