By
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
Published 11 minutes ago
Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in 2019 and is now one of the leading contributors of the TV News team. Having written over 3000 news stories since 2019, with his work cited in Buzzfeed and TV Insider, he's always bemoaning that there's too many shows and not enough time. You can contact him at: [email protected].
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Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam is the latest to join an upcoming thriller series that's based on the work of a legendary spy author. Hunnam has kept busy since his time as Jax Teller came to an end in 2014. He's led two shows, the short-lived Shantaram on Apple TV+, and Monster: The Ed Gein Story.
He will also star in Criminal as Leo, a mastermind who does his work without the use of violence. That will soon debut on Prime Video, with Richard Jenkins, Adria Arjona, Kadeem Hardison, Logan Browning, Luke Evans, and Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke filling up the cast. The fan-favorite actor has lined up another television series, dealing with crime of a different sort.
Legacy of Spies, based on the novel by the work of seminal author John le Carré, has been picked up by the BBC in the U.K. and MGM+ in the U.S. The adaptation, which will feature Succession's Matthew Macfadyen as spymaster George Smiley, will also feature Charlie Hunnam as British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as East German operative Jens Fielder, and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu as Doris Quinz, also known as Agent Tulip.
Actor
Who They Play
Other Notable Roles
Matthew Macfadyen
George Smiley
Succession, Pride & Prejudice
Charlie Hunnam
Alec Leamas
Monster, Sons of Anarchy
Daniel Brühl
Jens Fielder
Inglourious Basterds, Rush
Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu
Doris Quinz / Agent Tulip
The Empress
Matthew Macfadyen's Charles J. Guiteau looking worried in a crowd in Death by Lightning
The project, which was first reported in March, will be produced by The Ink Factory and distributed by Fifth Season. It will consist of eight episodes, adaptating le Carré's novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and drawing from his 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies. Stephen Cornwell, co-founder and co-CEO of The Ink Factory, is writing Legacy of Spies along with Clarissa Ingram. Cormwell will also executive produce.
Michael Wright, global head of MGM+, reacted to the news in a statement and said that partnering on Legacy of Spies is a dream project that reflects MGM+’s mission of classic storytelling for modern audiences. Cromwell and Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, echoed those sentiments, highlighting the series while praising the cast and creative partners. Their statements are below:
Michael Wright: “The opportunity to partner with The Ink Factory, the BBC, and this remarkable creative team to tell the story of John le Carré’s legendary George Smiley is truly a dream project… We’re thrilled to bring it to the MGM+ audience.”
Lindsay Salt: “‘Legacy of Spies’ is a dream le Carré project adapted by the brilliant Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram… BBC viewers are in for a very special treat!”
Simon and Stephen Cornwell: “This project is in many ways the most ambitious and all-encompassing adaptation of le Carré’s work to date, taking our father’s best-known and most-loved character – the complex and brilliant spymaster George Smiley – and using this medium as a canvas to chart his story… To have Matthew embody this operational mastermind, a man both vulnerable and dangerous, alongside the brilliant talent of Charlie, Daniel and Devrim, is a great coup. We are thrilled the series has found its home with the BBC and MGM+ and to be collaborating alongside Malte and the Amusement Park team, while having Graham’s wisdom, vision and deft touch helping us guide this project – bringing his own mastery of the genre alongside that of le Carré’s.”
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold was first published in 1963, focusing on Alec Leamas, a weary British agent in Berlin just as the Berlin Wall had been erected. He's offered a last chance at revenge after his final operative dies. But he'll have to pose as a disgraced spy. As for Mundt, the German officer that Leamas is meant to trap, and Smiley, they each have their own challenges to face.
Born as David Cornwell and serving in British intelligence before becoming a novelist, le Carré died in December 2020. He's often credited with redefining the spy saga by leaning into the moral complexities of the genre rather than the glamorous elements of the Bond stories. Smiley, in particular, is regarded as an iconic character. Hunnam may next have Monster season 4 lined up, but the true excitement is with Legacy of Spies.
Headshot Of Charlie Hunnam
Charlie Hunnam
Birthdate
April 10, 1980
Birthplace
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, UK
Notable Projects
Pacific Rim, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Sons of Anarchy
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