‘Deep Cover’ Trailer: Bryce Dallas Howard & Orlando Bloom Use Improv to Stop Crime in Tribeca Premiere
Prime Video
“You committed. It was inspiring.”
If you thought undercover operations couldn’t be improvised, Deep Cover proves otherwise. The new film from director Tom Kingsley (Doctor Who) debuted at the 2025 Tribeca Festival this week as part of the Spotlight Narrative section, offering a satirical look at law enforcement through the lens of amateur performance. The result? An action-comedy that’s half Hot Fuzz, half Harold improv, and entirely unhinged.
Howard stars as Kat, a dedicated improv teacher pulled into an MI5 sting operation. Her assignment: train two of her students—played by Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed—to infiltrate a London criminal ring by pretending to be the real thing. Helping coordinate the mission is a stone-faced Sean Bean, once again playing the serious man in a world spinning out of control.
The trailer teases escalating chaos, awkwardly committed performances, and the bizarre overlap of method acting and felony impersonation. “I told you not to escalate,” Kat yells. “It’s where the scene went,” Bloom responds without irony.
Aided by a stacked cast including Paddy Considine, Sonoya Mizuno, Ian McShane, and a scene-stealing Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Deep Cover walks a tightrope between genre spoof and straight-faced satire. Writers Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, Ben Ashenden, and Alexander Owen blend snappy dialogue with oddball sincerity, giving the film a unique tone that feels both cinematic and community theatre.
After its U.S. premiere at Tribeca, Deep Cover will land on Prime Video beginning June 12.
Improv as Espionage
Prime Video
Deep Cover follows Kat (Howard), a struggling improv instructor recruited by undercover agent Hammett (Sean Bean) to aid in a covert sting operation. Her task? Train two of her students—played by Bloom and Mohammed—to pose as criminals and infiltrate London’s seedy underworld.
What begins as a ridiculous experiment in roleplay quickly escalates into full-blown chaos, with the trio blurring the line between performance and reality. “I told you not to escalate,” Kat warns in the trailer. Bloom, dead serious, responds: “It’s where the scene went.”
The cast is rounded out by Paddy Considine, Sonoya Mizuno, Ian McShane, and Sean Bean, delivering performances that oscillate between deadpan comedy and high-stakes action.
From London to Tribeca
Clocking in at 109 minutes, the UK feature made its U.S. premiere on June 10 at the OKX Theater at BMCC TPACwith an additional screening set for June 11 at Village East by Angelika. Part Hot Fuzz, part Waiting for Guffman, the film uses improv as both a comedic device and an accidental weapon, creating one of Tribeca’s most unexpectedly sharp entries.
Directed by Kingsley (Doctor Who), and written by Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, Ben Ashenden, and Alexander Owen, Deep Cover is produced by Trevorrow, Walter F. Parkes, and Laurie MacDonald.
Streaming Soon
If you missed its NYC debut, fear not—Deep Cover begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video June 12, just in time for summer viewing. With its offbeat humor, meta-comedy, and ensemble brilliance, it’s shaping up to be one of the season’s most unexpected hits.
WATCH THE TRAILER BELOW:
