The Ink Factory is producing the new John le Carré series Legacy of Spies for the BBC and MGM+, in co-production with Amusement Park Film and in association with 127 Wall Productions and Paramount Television Studios.
Stephen Cornwell is writing the new series with Clarissa Ingram, adapted from The Spy Who Came In From The Cold , with additional material from A Legacy of Spies. EPs include Graham Yost and Malte Grunert.
The eight-part drama will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the U.K. and MGM+ in the U.S. The cast includes Matthew Macfadyen, Charlie Hunnam, Daniel Brühl and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu.
Simon Cornwell and Stephen Cornwell, founders and co-CEOs at The Ink Factory, said: “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 most character—the complex and brilliant spymaster George Smiley—and using this medium as a canvas to chart his story as he moves through a world which culturally and politically shapes the one we live in today. To have Matthew embody this operational mastermind, a man both vulnerable and dangerous, alongside the brilliant talent of Charlie 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.”
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said, “Legacy of Spies is a dream le Carré project adapted by the brilliant Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram. We are thrilled to have The Ink Factory, who are the ultimate experts in this genre, making this series which stars some of our best actors—Matthew, Charlie, Devrim and Daniel. BBC viewers are in for a very special treat!”
Michael Wright, global head of MGM+, noted: “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. MGM+ is building its brand around classic storytelling for a modern audience, and Legacy of Spies is the embodiment of that, with a brilliant cast led by Matthew Macfadyen and Charlie Hunnam. We’re thrilled to bring it to the MGM+ audience.”
Fifth Season is handling global sales.
