EXCLUSIVE: New Regency has acquired Panic Officer, an espionage thriller spec from screenwriter Ben Ripley (Source Code).
Described as being in the spirit of Mr. & Mrs. Smith — a kinetic, character-driven two-hander with two juicy roles lead roles at its center, the film will be produced by Toby Jaffe (upcoming Cliffhanger reboot, Total Recall) via his RDV Films.
A Panic Officer is a specialized role within the CIA, acting as a remote support and emergency contact for elite field operatives when they encounter critical situations. They are the “911” for spies, providing guidance, resources, and a lifeline when things go sideways.
In the film, when an undercover CIA operative stationed in Eastern Europe realizes her cover is blown, she dials the Panic Officer, a bookish intelligence agent who recognizes her as the woman who ditched him after a one-night stand during training. Despite their differences — he’s an empath and she trends towards sociopath — they quickly learn they can only trust each other to survive when The Company turns against them.
Ripley is best known for writing the Black List spec Source Code, which was made into the sci-fi action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones and starring Jake Gyllenhaal. More recently, he penned the drama Last Days, directed by Justin Lin, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Vertical.
This Friday, 20th releases Psycho Killer, New Regency’s horror thriller penned by Se7en‘s Andrew Kevin Walker which stars Georgina Campbell. Earlier this month, we scooped Carrier, their forthcoming feature adaptation of the action-thriller short story by Aaron Benjamin, to be produced by Ryan Kalil and Blake Griffin’s Mortal Media.
Ripley is repped by Verve, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Stankevich Law.
