AMC and BBC Adapting Another John le Carre Bestselling Novel
Following up on the Golden Globe-winning hit miniseries The Night Manager, AMC and BBC are teaming up for another adaptation of a John le Carre bestseller, this time The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. To be distributed internationally by Paramoiunt, Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy will pen the adaptation.
Set in 1962, the series takes place at the height of the Cold War and only months after the Berlin Wall has gone up. It follows Alex Leamas, who works as hard as he drinks, and is a British intelligence officer whose East Berlin network has fallen to pieces. He is recalled to London, where he gets a chance at revenge against East German counter-intelligence officer Hans-Dieter Mundt.
The book was published in 1963, and this won't be its first adaptation. It made a big screen splash in 1965, directed by Martin Ritt and starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Oskar Werner. Of the new project, Le Carre said "“I’m very excited by the project, and have great confidence in the team."
“John le Carré is one of the master story-tellers of our time, and to have the opportunity once again to put his page to our screen is an absolute privilege,” said Joel Stillerman, President of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “‘Spy’ is a deep tale of intrigue in one of the most uncertain times in history. We’re very much looking forward to continuing our great partnership with Ink Factory and BBC as well as Paramount Television.”
“Following the huge global success of ‘The Night Manager,’ it’s a privilege to announce that John Le Carré will return to BBC One with one of the best spy thrillers ever written. Adapted by Simon Beaufoy, ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold’ is utterly timely in its evocation of the Cold War period and we are thrilled to be working with The Ink Factory and AMC again to bring this seminal novel to the screen for another unmissable drama series on BBC One," said BBC Drama Head Piers Wenger.
Source: Comingsoon
