Matthew Macfadyen has been attached to star in ‘Legacy Of Spies‘, a potential new series based on John le Carré’s “George Smiley” series of novels, from The Ink Factory (The Night Manager), and Fifth Season (Nine Perfect Strangers, Severance).
‘Legacy Of Spies’ is part of John le Carré’s “George Smiley” Cold War spy novel series, chronicling the life and career of the brilliant but unassuming British intelligence officer. The potential TV series is currently being pitched to outlets in the UK and USA by The Ink Factory, who owns the rights to le Carré’s work, and Fifth Season, who would distribute the drama.
The novel series itself began in 1961 with Call for the Dead which follows Smiley through a world of deception, betrayal, and moral ambiguity within the British Secret Service, known as the Circus. The novels explore the ideological battle between British intelligence and the Soviet Union’s KGB, culminating in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), where Smiley hunts for a Soviet mole within the agency. The Legacy of Spies, published in 2017, serves as both a sequel and a prequel to the 1963 novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Graham Yost, the creator of ‘Silo’ and ‘Justified’, is attached to exec produce, based on a script from Ink Factory co-founder Stephen Cornwell (Message from the King, Unknown) and Clarissa Ingram. Macfadyen would star as George Smiley.
Macfadyen is no stranger to spies, having really shot to prominence in the BBC drama ‘Spooks’. He is, of course, just coming off the back of an award-winning run on the Emmy-winning series ‘Succession’, and most recently popped up on the big screen in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ as Mr. Paradox. He will join a long line of actors who have portrayed George Smiley on screen, including Alec Guinness, Rupert Davies, Denholm Elliott, and Gary Oldman, to name but a few!
The Ink Factory has already adapted many of le Carré’s other works, most notably the critically acclaimed drama ‘The Night Manager‘, which is set to return for a second season, along with ‘The Little Drummer Girl’, and ‘A Most Wanted Man’.
‘Legacy Of Spies‘ does not yet have a broadcaster, but is currently being shopped to outlets on both sides of the Atlantic. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
