The BBC has confirmed filming is now underway on ‘Legacy Of Spies’, the new John le Carré espionage thriller which brings George Smiley back to television and expands its already impressive cast.
The eight-part drama is adapted from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, while also drawing on material from le Carré’s later novel A Legacy of Spies. That makes this the first time either book has been adapted for the small screen, giving the BBC and MGM+ a hefty slice of Cold War spy fiction to work with.
Pictured above: 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). Images provided by the BBC.
Leading the cast is Matthew Macfadyen (Death by Lightning, Succession) as George Smiley, with Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story, The Gentlemen) playing Alec Leamas, the weary field operative at the centre of the story. They’re joined by Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front, Rush) as Josef Fiedler, and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu (The Empress) as Doris Quinz, a young East German woman whose decision to smuggle vital intelligence into the West helps set the whole thing in motion.
Newly announced cast members include Agnes O’Casey (Black Doves, Lies We Tell) as Liz Gold, reprising the role after appearing in the recent West End stage adaptation, and Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) as the dangerous Stasi enforcer Hans-Dieter Mundt. They’re joined by Dan Stevens (Zero Day, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire) as Bill Haydon, Jake Dunn (What It Feels Like for a Girl, Renegade Nell) as Peter Guillam, Safia Oakley-Green (The Bluff, Out of the Darkness) as Molly Gibson, Ariyon Bakare (Mr Loverman, His Dark Materials) as Cy Aflon, Saskia Rosendahl (Fabian – Going to the Dogs, The Meltdown) as Lotte Gamp, Patrick Güldenberg (Die Ibiza Affäre, Tatort: Donuts) as Dr Karl Riemeck, and Volker Bruch (Babylon Berlin, Generation War) as Emmanuel Rapp.
Set against the backdrop of Cold War Berlin, ‘Legacy Of Spies’ follows Leamas as he recruits Doris Quinz to help smuggle high-value Stasi documents into the West. From there, things spiral into a dangerous game of intelligence leaks, rivalries, shifting loyalties and inevitable betrayal, with Smiley quietly pulling strings in the background as Karla lurks in the shadows. So yes, cheerful stuff.
The series is written and showrun by Stephen Cornwell and Clarisa Ingram, with Michael Lennox (Say Nothing, Crystal Lake) serving as lead director and executive producer. It comes from The Ink Factory, in co-production with Amusement Park Film, and in association with 127 Wall Productions and Paramount Television Studios.
Lennox said: “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. 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.”
Macfadyen added: “This is a timeless, and very timely, story about espionage, power, and morality. I am hugely thrilled and not a little daunted to be playing George Smiley – this quiet, intelligent and deeply private man. And delighted to be stepping into le Carré’s world in the company of such talented actors and producers.”
Lingnau Islamoğlu said: “Doris is operating in a man’s world, taking extreme risks for what she believes is right. The personal cost is immense, and I am full of admiration for her courage. Bringing her story to life with this extraordinary cast is a true honour.”
Hunnam said: “I’m so excited to be part of this incredible project, and to be working alongside Matthew Macfadyen and such an exceptional cast, as well as having the opportunity to play such an iconic character. Leamas isn’t a traditional hero. He is worn down by the work, shaped and eroded by it over time, which is what makes him so compelling. Le Carré explored the personal toll of a life in espionage and what happens when the line between professional duty and something more personal begins to blur. It’s the humanity at the heart of this story that makes it so powerful and resonant.”
O’Casey said: “Liz Gold has a singular ability to see right to the core of people, cutting through any sense of cynicism. Stepping into the shoes of a figure so self-assured and with such an enthusiasm for the world has been transformative. Liz is a woman who knows herself completely – when she falls in love, it is an all-consuming and undeniable experience. She is a joy to play.”
Stephen and Simon Cornwell added: “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.”
‘Legacy Of Spies’ does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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