Firth to play Stern Gang leader

Academy Award-nominated actor Colin Firth will play Jewish underground leader Avraham Stern in a new movie.

“The Promised Land,” a political crime thriller set in British Mandate Palestine, takes place during the years leading up to the formation of the modern state of Israel.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom, it is set to start filming this summer.

The Stern Gang, also known as Lehi, fought against the British Mandate in Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s.

Matthew Macfadyen and Jim Sturgess will play British police officers trying to quash the Stern Gang.