Posted in: BBC, TV | Tagged: Legacy of Spies

Legacy of Spies: Macfadyen, Hunnam, Brühl Set for John le Carré Adapt

The BBC and MGM+ are set to adapt John le Carré's Legacy of Spies, starring Matthew Macfadyen, Charlie Hunnam, and Daniel Brühl.

Published Thu, 04 Dec 2025 05:37:02 -0600

by Adi Tantimedh

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The BBC and MGM+ announced a landmark John le Carré series, Legacy of Spies, made by award-winning The Ink Factory in co-production with Amusement Park Film and in association with 127 Wall Productions and Paramount Television Studios. Legacy of Spies is an adaptation of the final George Smiley novel, charting Smiley's overarching quest for his nemesis, the Russian master spy Karla, through the defining era of our modern age: the Cold War. The series is written by Stephen Cornwell (son of David Cornwell, le Carré's real name, and writer of Message from the King, A Most Wanted Man, Unknown) with Clarissa Ingram, the series adaptation will include le Carré's best-selling breakout novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and will also draw on additional material from A Legacy of Spies. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold dominated the world's best-seller lists when it was first published in 1963 and remains one of le Carré's best-selling novels today. Le Carré's 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies was also a global number one bestseller. The books mark the beginning and end of the Smiley Saga.

Legacy of Spies: BBC Reveals Cast of John le Carré Adaptation — IMAGE: BBC/MGM+ – Matthew Macfadyen (Image: Josh Wool), Daniel Brühl (Image: Pablo Arroyo,) and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu (Image: Elena Zaucke)

The 8-part, 60-minute drama will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, as well as on MGM+ in the US. The cast is led by two-time Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Matthew Macfadyen as master spy George Smiley, Charlie Hunnam as the doomed British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as East German spy Jens Fiedler, and Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu as Doris Quinz, aka Agent Tulip. Graham Yost (Justified, Silo, Slow Horses) and Malte Grunert (All Quiet on the Western Front) will executive produce the series, which will chart George Smiley's overarching quest for his nemesis, Russian master spy Karla, through the defining era of our modern age: the Cold War. Legacy of Spies will be set across the UK, as well as in what was, during the time period of the story, East and West Germany, and Czechoslovakia.

The series begins in the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, as Alec Leamas watches his last agent shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, a senior British intelligence officer in Berlin, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse – a desk job – Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service, with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

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+, added, "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."

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