John le Carré spy stories are having a moment. Following on from the BBC’s adaptation of The Night Manager and a big-screen take on Our Kind Of Traitor comes Deadline reporting that another of the spy writer’s novels is on its way into production. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is being magicked into a television miniseries by Paramount TV, potentially with Aidan Gillen in the lead role.
This one looks like an interesting proposition to adapt. Unlike Our Kind Of Traitor or The Night Manager, le Carré’s 1963 potboiler is very much of Cold War setting, closer in spirit (and subject matter) to Bridge Of Spies. It follows a disenchanted MI6 spymaster, Alec Leamas, in Berlin as he watches more and more of his agents get killed.
Leamas is given a stark choice: a revenge mission or retirement. If you’ve seen the 1965 film with Richard Burton (pictured), you’ll know that what follows is suffused with some bitter home truths for Queen and Country. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was written in 1963 at the height of the Cold War and informed by the author’s own experiences in British Intelligence.
Even more intriguingly, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is set in the same le Carré universe as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with Control and George Smiley both key players. Slumdog Millionaire’s Simon Beaufoy is in charge of turning the novel into a screenplay, presumably with an eye to adding contemporary resonance. “Adapting one of the best thrillers ever written is a rare privilege,” enthuses the screenwriter in a statement.
Early rumours have Gillen linked with the role of Leamas. As Game Of Thrones’s Petyr Baelish, he brings solid experience of the kind of double-speak, political manoeuvring and general shenanigans that could make him a shoo-in for the part.
The Night Manager’s producers The Ink Factory are behind this one. “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is one of the greatest espionage stories ever told,” says co-founder (and le Carré's son) Simon Cornwell. "Simon Beaufoy is one of the most brilliant screenwriters of our generation. We are thrilled to be embarking on this extraordinary creative journey in collaboration with them, as well as with Paramount Television and Character 7.”