A thriller starring the famous French actor Gerard Depardieu and the British actress Elizabeth Hurley will be filmed in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya and will appear on screens at the end of the year.

      The movie, which is called “Biryuza” (Turquoise), is to be shot in Chechnya and in Moscow. Its filming began in the Chechen Republic on Saturday. Depardieu, who was recently given a Russian passport, will play a man whose son is killed and who comes to Russia to avenge him. Depardieu is going to join the shooting at the beginning of next week, according to his agent.

      The famous French actor renounced his French citizenship in January 2013 ahead of the government’s planned implementation of a 75 percent tax rate for annual earnings above $1.3 million. He was given his new Russian passport at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Grozny, a capital of the Chechen republic, Depardieu participated in Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's 36th birthday party and promised an active participation in Russia's movie industry.