AMC and BBC adapting John le Carre’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
On the heels of three Golden Globe wins for The Night Manager, AMC and the BBC have announced that they will team up again with The Ink Factory for a television adaptation of John le Carré’s best-selling novel “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.” The Spy is being distributed internationally by Paramount and adapted by Academy Award winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). It will be produced in association with Character 7.
It is 1962: the height of the Cold War and only months after the building of the Berlin Wall. Alex Leamas is a hard-working, hard-drinking British intelligence officer whose East Berlin network is in tatters. His agents are either on the run or dead, victims of the ruthlessly efficient East German counter-intelligence officer Hans-Dieter Mundt. Leamas is recalled to London- where, to his surprise, he’s offered a chance at revenge. But to get it, he may have to stay out in the cold a little longer…
“The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” was written in 1963, and on release topped the New York Times best seller list for 32 weeks. In 1965, le Carré’s novel was made into a film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Oskar Werner.
“I’m very excited by the project, and have great confidence in the team,” said John le Carré.
“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.”
Piers Wenger, Controller of BBC Drama says, “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.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to be working on the best Cold War spy story ever written,” said writer Simon Beaufoy.
“We are thrilled to be teaming again with AMC and the BBC to adapt this extraordinary work for television. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to build on the relationships that delivered ‘The Night Manager’ to an audience worldwide. ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold’ is an utterly gripping story, and one of the great books of the twentieth century. We are looking forward enormously to bringing it to a twenty-first century audience,” said Simon Cornwell of The Ink Factory.