See Charlize Theron As An Assassin In Atomic Blonde

Charlize Theron is a badass assassin in the first look at her new movie Atomic Blonde, released to Entertainment Weekly. Based on the graphic novel The Coldest City from Antony Johnston and Sam Hart, the film follows Theron as Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 spy trying to pick up a most-wanted dossier in Berlin during the Cold War.

Theron bought the rights to the graphic novel along with her producing partner Beth Kono five years ago. "I hadn't seen another character like her out there," she told EW. "She doesn't apologize for anything. We made her strong and feisty. She's cheeky. These were all things I responded to."

Theron trained for four or five hours a day for three months to master fighting for the film, even cracking two teeth in the back of her mouth from clenching her teeth so much. "Let's be honest, I got my ass handed to me every day," she said. However, TRON: Legacy and Jupiter Ascending stunt coordinator David Leitch, who directed the film, said that the training was well worth it, also citing Theron's ballet background as one of the many things that made her well-suited to filming the movie's intense fight scenes. "It's refreshing to find an actor who can do these long, long takes, memorize the choreography, maintain the character, and deliver a performance," Leitch, who is also set to direct Deadpool 2, said. "She's extraordinary."

You can see more pictures of Theron in Atomic Blonde over at EW. The movie, which also stars James McAvoy, John Goodman, Til Schweiger, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella, and Toby Jones, will premiere at SXSW this weekend before a wide release on July 28. In the meantime, see the 15 best action movies of all time.