Birdseye to Film in Budapest with Maria Bakalova and Jean Reno

The Cold War-era thriller BirdsEye is set to shoot in Budapest, Hungary starting in the third quarter of 2025. Directed by Mary Aloe and T.M. Hayes, the feature film stars Maria Bakalova, Jean Reno, Ty Simpkins, and Connie Nielsen.

BirdsEye follows the story of a young, impoverished Russian woman drawn into Vladimir Putin’s crusade to reignite Cold War tensions. She rises through the ranks as a high-level “swallow” spy in Washington, only to find her former childhood love—now a deadly “raven” assassin—sent to eliminate her.

The project is produced by Gillian Hormel, Michael Jefferson, Jonathan Halperyn, Danny Kresmery, Hannah Leader, Tiffany FitzHenry, and Sharon Paul, with Aloe and Hayes also serving as writers and producers.

Hero Squared, based in Budapest, is handling local production, further cementing Hungary’s role as a hub for international filmmaking. Production partners include Aloe Entertainment, Too Many Hats, Volition Media Partners, and Echobend Pictures. The Exchange and CAA Media Finance are overseeing international and domestic sales, respectively.