The BBC’s forthcoming John Le Carré adaptation is packing out its cast with a new list of all-star additions to the upcoming series titled Legacy of Spies.
The upcoming eight-part drama will adapt two of Le Carré’s novels, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and A Legacy of Spies, following spymaster George Smiley and his missions while working for the international agency known as The Circus.
The new additions join Matthew Macfadyen, who is taking over the role as MI6 officer George Smiley (a role previously portrayed by Gary Oldman, Alec Guinness and John Ramm in other projects), and Charlie Hunnam, who is playing field operative Alec Leamas.
Hugh Laurie, who previously starred in The Night Manager, will be returning to the Le Carré on-screen universe, this time as Control – the commanding and “morally fickle” head of The Circus.
Now even more names have been confirmed to fill out Smiley’s world.
Charlotte Ritchie (You, Ghosts) has joined the cast as Smiley’s quick-witted and complex wife, Ann.
Joe Alwyn, known for his roles in Hamnet and Conversations With Friends, will be playing Jim Prideaux, who is described as a “charismatic” veteran of The Circus “whose off-book exploits in the field ruffle a few feathers back in London”.
Completing Smiley’s inner circle is Black Mirror star Anjana Vasan who will portray the team’s “queen of research” Connie Sachs; Lee Ross (Andor), who plays Inspector Oliver Mendel, one of Smiley’s most trusted friends; and Adam Hugill (Dear England) who joins as Smiley’s sworn protector and guardian, Fawn.
Filling out The Circus, James McArdle (Playing Nice) will play Percy Alleline, John Dagleish (3 Body Problem) will take on Roy Bland, and Goran Bogdan (The Last Panthers) will feature as Toby Esterhase.
Legacy of Spies will be led by showrunner and writer Stephen Cornwell, and Clarissa Ingram.
Stephen and Simon Cornwell, head of InkFactory Productions and the sons of David Cornwell (known to the world as John Le Carré) said of the announcement: “We are delighted to have Academy Award nominee and Golden Bear winner Claudia Llosa bring her vision and cinematic sensibility to Legacy. Her joining Michael on directorial duties has only compounded what is shaping up to be a truly remarkable production.
“To be reunited with Hugh Laurie and Joe Alwyn as Control and Prideaux is a remarkable privilege as we build out the world of the Circus. It’s wonderful to welcome Hugh into a new dimension of the le Carré universe alongside his brilliant portrayal of Richard Roper in The Night Manager, and we’re thrilled that Joe, who we first worked with on Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, is now joining us in this momentous undertaking as well.
“There is something profound about watching our father’s universe brought to life by actors of this calibre, and it is extraordinary seeing the ensemble take flight. It’s everything we could have hoped for and more.”
According to the official synopsis, the series will follow what happens when Alec Leamas (Hunnam), a highly experienced Circus field operative, recruits Doris Quinz (Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu), a young and dynamic East German woman, to smuggle high-value Stasi documents into the West.
The decision “sets in motion a series of events that threaten to explode in the crucible of Cold War Berlin”.
The synopsis continues: “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.”
Filming for the series began in late April.
Legacy of Spies is coming soon to BBC.
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