Cameras are rolling on “Legacy of Spies,” the BBC and MGM+’s return to the clandestine world of John le Carre’s beloved Cold War spymaster Michael Smiley, with a bumper crop of names having been added to the cast.
Adapted from le Carré’s global bestseller “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” and drawing on material his 2017 novel “A Legacy of Spies,” the eight-part thriller is showrun and written by Stephen Cornwell (“Message from the King,” “A Most Wanted Man”) and Clarisa Ingram. Michael Lennox (“Say Nothing,” “Crystal Lake”) will serve as an executive producer and takes on lead directorial duties.
The series is being led by Matthew Macfadyen as Smiley, with other previously announced stars including Charlie Hunnam as maverick field operative Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as Josef Fiedler, a methodical Stasi intelligence strategist and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu as Doris Quinz, a young and dynamic East German woman who delivers vital intelligence from the heart of the East German operation.
Joining the show are Agnes O’Casey (Black Doves, Lies We Tell) as Liz Gold, an idealistic young woman at the heart of the story. O’Casey reprises her role from the stage adaptation which recently completed its West End run. In another key role, Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) is Hans-Dieter Mundt, a brutal, unpredictable and psychotically deadly Stasi enforcer.
Joining them are Dan Stevens (Zero Day and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) as Bill Haydon a brilliant and enigmatic Circus insider, Jake Dunn (What It Feels Like for a Girl, Renegade Nell) as Peter Guillam, Smiley’s trusted lieutenant, Safia Oakley-Green (The Bluff, Out of the Darkness) as Molly Gibson, an energetic new intelligence officer and one of Leamas’ most trusted deputies and Ariyon Bakare (Mr Loverman, His Dark Materials) as Cy Aflon, a seasoned US intelligence officer. From within the East German regime, Saskia Rosendahl (Fabian – Going to the Dogs, El Deshielo/ The Meltdown) will play Lotte Gamp, Doris’ courageous and protective sister, Patrick Güldenberg (Die Ibiza Affäre,Tatort: Donuts) is Dr Karl Riemeck, a principled doctor pulled into the world of espionage and Volker Bruch (Babylon Berlin, Generation War) is Emmanuel Rapp, a high-ranking Stasi official.
“Legacy of Spies” is produced by The Ink Factory (“The Pigeon Tunnel,” “The Night Manager”) in co-production with Amusement Park Film (“All Quiet on the Western Front”) and in association with 127 Wall Productions and Paramount Television Studios. The series will have its premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the U.K. and on MGM+ in the United States. Fifth Season is handling global sales.
“Working with Stephen to realise this extraordinary story is a privilege. Le Carré’s work defined the espionage genre but also disrupted it, turned it on its head. His work was daring, stripped back and lived in the present, revealing the profoundly human, life-and-death stakes behind the intrigue,” said Lennox. “‘Legacy of Spies’ bottles that same spirit, a story about individuals making impossible choices at a pivotal moment in history. I couldn’t be more excited to see this brought to life by such a talented cast, all the while making this world feel immediate, urgent, and profoundly relevant to contemporary audiences.”
Added Stephen and Simon Cornwell: “The ensemble of talent joining this production is extraordinary: both our British and our German cast bring unparalleled depth to the show, and to the realisation of the rich canvas of characters that our dad created in his spell-binding novels. Michael Lennox as our lead director brings a combination of wonderful ambition and deeply emotional humanity to the story. We are hugely grateful to our partners at the BBC and at MGM+ for enabling us to fulfil our collective vision for the show, and we cannot wait to see it all take shape on screen.”
Alongside Stephen Cornwell, executive producers including Graham Yost (“Justified,” “Silo”), Simon Cornwell (“The Pigeon Tunnel,” “The Night Manager”), Michele Wolkoff, Malte Grunert (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), Chris Rice, Macfadyen, Hunnam, Lennox and Joe Tsai. Susanne Bier and Mike Lesslie are also executive producers. The executive producers for the BBC are Gaynor Holmes and Nick Lambon. Nick Cornwell is executive producer for the John le Carré estate. Sam Costin will serve as co-executive producer and Nancy Bray will produce for The Ink Factory.
Source: variety.com
