Wasp Network (film)
Wasp Network is a 2019 drama film written and directed by Olivier Assayas. It stars Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Wagner Moura, and Gael García Bernal. Based on Fernando Morais' book, The Last Soldiers on the Cold War, it tells the story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s.

The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2019.

Plot
A Cuban airplane pilot René Gonzalez flies to Miami, Florida to infiltrate an anti-Castro organization, leaving his wife and daughter in Havana.

Cast
 Penélope Cruz as Olga Gonzalez
 Édgar Ramírez as René Gonzalez
 Wagner Moura as Juan Pablo Roque
 Gael García Bernal as Gerardo Hernandez
 Ana de Armas as Ana Magarita Martinez
 Leonardo Sbaraglia as Jose Basulto

Production
In April 2017, it was announced that Olivier Assayas would write and direct Wasp Network. Based on Fernando Morais' book called The Last Soldiers on the Cold War, it would tell the story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s. In May 2018, it was announced that Pedro Pascal and Édgar Ramírez would star in the film. In September, Penélope Cruz, Wagner Moura and Gael García Bernal were added to the cast. Adria Arjona was added to the cast in December. In February 2019, Ana de Armas was cast.

Filming began in Cuba on February 18, 2019, and wrapped on May 4, 2019.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2019. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Deauville American Film Festival, the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival. Netflix acquired the distribution rights to the film in January 2020.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 27 reviews, with a weighted average of 4.83/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Nicholas Barber of BBC gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entertaining and often glamorous cloak-and-dagger thriller in which the sun is always shining and the actors are all gorgeous." Jay Weissberg of Variety wrote, "it leaves viewers gratified by the filmmaking bravura and the sheer pleasure of watching this superb cast in top form, but also feeling shortchanged." Xan Brooks of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "What it lacks is an emotional charge and a fine-grained texture." David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a big, handsomely shot movie with a strong cast and stunning location work" and "a knotty tangle of endless back and forth between too many characters, situations and settings to make for satisfying storytelling."