Adapted from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and drawing on material from A Legacy of Spies, the series marks the first time either novel has been adapted for the small screen
The eight-part espionage thriller is show run 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. Legacy of Spies will premiere on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and on MGM+ in the United States.
Who stars in Legacy of Spies and who are the new cast
Matthew Macfadyen (Death by Lightning, Succession) stars as the iconic George Smiley, alongside Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, The Gentlemen) as Alec Leamas, the maverick field operative at the heart of John le Carré’s espionage masterpiece The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front, Rush) plays Josef Fiedler, a methodical Stasi intelligence strategist, with Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu (The Empress) as Doris Quinz, a young and dynamic East German woman who delivers vital intelligence from the heart of the East German operation.
Newly announced (and in the top picture are): L-R: Agnes O’Casey (Image: Pip Bourdillon), Felix Kammerer (Image: Davey Sutton), Dan Stevens (Image: Bjorn Looss), Jake Dunn (Image: Craig Fleming), Safia Oakley-Green (Image: Charlie Francis), Ariyon Bakare (Image: Ron Timehin), Saskia Rosendahl, Patrick Güldenberg (Image: Clemens Porikys) and Volker Bruch (Image: Pascal Buenning).
What is this new adaptation about
From the press release:
A story of strategy, loyalty, love and betrayal, this new adaptation brings le Carré’s world to a modern audience, capturing the urgency and disruptive spirit of the source material that first electrified readers around the world. Le Carré’s 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies, which also reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list, provides additional material and brings a rich canvas of story, life and characters behind the Iron Curtain.
With filming underway, we hope to see this around the end of the year. We’ll keep you posted.