Legacy of Spies has added to its cast. The new MGM+ and BBC series is based on John le Carré’s novels.
Agnes O’Casey, Felix Kammerer, Volker Bruch, Saskia Rosendahl, Patrick Güldenberg, Safia Oakley-Green, Jake Dunn, Ariyon Bakare, and Dan Stevens have joined the previously cast Matthew Macfadyen, Charlie Hunnam, Daniel Brühl, and Devrim Lingnau Islamoglu.
“MGM+ and BBC today announced that principal photography has begun on The Ink Factory’s landmark series, Legacy of Spies, which sees spymaster George Smiley’s long-anticipated return to television. 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 visionary eight-part espionage thriller is show run and written by Stephen Cornwell (Message from the King, A Most Wanted Man) and Clarissa Ingram. Michael Lennox (Say Nothing, Crystal Lake) will serve as an Executive Producer and takes on lead directorial duties.
Two-time Emmy and Bafta Award-winning 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.
The previously announced cast are joined by 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.Felix Kammerer (All Quiet on the Western Front, Frankenstein) is Hans-Dieter Mundt, a brutal, unpredictable and psychotically deadly Stasi enforcer. Joining them is a world-class ensemble portraying the allies and adversaries who populate Smiley’s Cold War universe, including 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, alongside 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) is 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.
First published in 1963, John le Carré’s ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ became an instant global phenomenon, spending 8 months at the top of The New York Times bestseller list and redefining the spy thriller genre by stripping away the glamour and replacing it with realism, ambiguity and moral consequence. 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.
The series 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 UK and on MGM+ in the United States.
Lead Director and EP Michael Lennox says: “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.”
Matthew Macfadyen says: “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.”
Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu says: “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.”
Charlie Hunnam says: “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.”
Agnes O’Casey says: “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.”
When Alec Leamas (Charlie Hunnam), a highly experienced Circus field operative, recruits Doris Quinz (Devrim Lingau Islamoğlu), a young and dynamic East German woman, to smuggle high-value Stasi documents into the West, it sets in motion a series of events that threaten to explode in the crucible of Cold War Berlin. Pursuing Leamas and Doris are Josef Fiedler (Daniel Brühl) and Hans-Dieter Mundt (Felix Kammerer), two Stasi operatives whose ferocious desire to shut down the intelligence leak is matched only by their internal rivalry and an iron will to outmatch each other. Pulled into the action is Liz Gold (Agnes O’Casey), an idealistic young woman whose courage and conviction force Leamas to navigate a world where loyalties fracture and betrayal is inevitable. Behind the scenes, the brilliant and taciturn spymaster George Smiley (Matthew Macfadyen) orchestrates operations while the elusive Soviet mastermind Karla looms in the shadows, setting the stage for a conflict that will define a generation. Personal lives become collateral in a ruthless intelligence war, and as the lines between duty and love begin to blur, every emotion becomes a weapon.”
The series’ premiere date will be announced later.
