Naomi Watts gains "International" passport

Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts has signed on to star opposite Clive Owen in "The International," an action thriller that Tom Tykwer is directing for Columbia Pictures.

The plot centers on an obsessive Interpol agent (Owen) who spearheads an investigation into one of the world's most high-profile and powerful banking institutions in an attempt to expose them for worldwide arms brokering, corruption and murder. Watts will play a Manhattan assistant district attorney who partners with the agent to take down the bank.

Eric Singer wrote the screenplay.

Watts, who most recently starred in "The Painted Veil," next stars opposite Viggo Mortensen in David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises."