ON THE HEELS OF THREE GOLDEN GLOBE® WINS FOR “THE NIGHT MANAGER” AMC AND THE BBC TEAM UP AGAIN WITH BEST-SELLING AUTHOR JOHN LE CARRÉ
NETWORKS JOIN THE INK FACTORY AND PARAMOUNT TELEVISION FOR THE ADAPTATION OF “THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD” BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING NOVEL OF THE SAME NAME
ACADEMY AWARD WINNER SIMON BEAUFOYSIGNED ON TO WRITE THE LIMITED SERIES
LOS ANGELES, CA-January 14, 2017 – On the heels of three Golden Globe wins for “The Night Manager,” AMC & the BBC announced today 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.
The winner of two Emmys, including best director Susanne Bier, “The Night Manager” was also the most awarded series at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series for Tom Hiddleston, and Best Performance by a Supporting Actor & Actress for Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman. “The Night Manager” has been honored with 12 Emmy nominations, five Critics Choice Award nominations and four Golden Globe nominations.
The Ink Factory is represented on “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” by John LaViolette at Bloom Hergott, and by Chris Rice and Theresa Kang at WME.
Simon Beaufoy is represented by Charlotte Knight at Knight Hall Agency and Susan B. Landau at Thompson Street Entertainment.
Stephen Garrett is represented by Theresa Kang and Chris Rice at WME.
John le Carré is represented by Jonny Geller and Nick Marston at Curtis Brown.
About AMC
AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with “Mad Men” in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before “Breaking Bad” won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series “The Walking Dead” is the highest-rated series in cable history and the number one show on television among adults 18-49 for the last five years. AMC’s other current original drama series include “Better Call Saul,” “Hell on Wheels,” “Turn: Washington’s Spies,” “Halt and Catch Fire,” “Humans,” “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Into the Badlands,” “The Night Manager,” “Preacher,” and the forthcoming “The Son,” “The Terror,” “Lodge 49,” “Loaded” and “McMafia.” AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like “Talking Dead,” “The Making of The Mob,” “Comic Book Men,” “Ride with Norman Reedus” and “The American West.” AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.
About The Ink Factory
The Ink Factory is a film, television and digital production company based in London and Los Angeles, founded in 2010 by Stephen Cornwell and his brother Simon. The team believes in reaching a wide audience by telling original and exciting stories, and working with storytellers and filmmakers who inspire, challenge and innovate. One of those collaborators is the author John le Carré, with whom the company has a close relationship. The company is working on a number of film and television adaptations of his work.
The company’s first film, A MOST WANTED MAN, based on the novel by John le Carré, was released in 2014. Recent projects for The Ink Factory include OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, also based on the le Carré novel; BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK, directed by Ang Lee and based on the award winning novel by Ben Fountain, and MESSAGE FROM THE KING, by Stephen Cornwell and Oliver Butcher.
The Ink Factory has also partnered with one of the games industry’s top talents, Matt Nava, to found digital studio Giant Squid. Giant Squid’s first game, ABZU, was released this year on PlayStation.
About CHARACTER 7
As an accomplished producer with an eye for pedigree material, Stephen Garrett most recently served as Executive Producer of “The Night Manager.” A collaboration with The Ink Factory, the series marked the first under Character 7, a production company based in Los Angeles and London for high-end television and film projects. Among the company’s upcoming projects in development is “The Rook,” a supernatural spy series, in partnership with Lionsgate and Twilight’s Stephenie Meyer. Prior to Character 7, Garrett was Founder and Executive Chairman of Kudos, the UK’s leading independent producer of TV drama. With his business partner Jane Featherstone, Kudos’ TV drama arm galvanized British television with the popular, acclaimed shows BAFTA- winning “Spooks” (based on Garrett’s original idea), “Hustle,” “Life on Mars,” “The Hour” and ITV’s hit “Broadchurch.” Garrett and Featherstone sold Kudos to Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group in 2006, and continued to be involved with the company until 2014.