Hugh Laurie (“House”) and Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, War Horse) to Star and Academy Award® Winner Susanne Bier (In a Better World ) Directs
NEW YORK, NY – 27 October 2015 – AMC Global announced today that it has secured the international broadcast rights for the television adaptation of John le Carré’s novel “The Night Manager.” Multiple Emmy® nominee Hugh Laurie (“House”) and Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, War Horse, Midnight in Paris) will star in the six-part drama which is currently in production. Susanne Bier, who won an Academy Award® for In a Better World, will direct the series. “The Night Manager is a co-production between AMC, BBC One and The Ink Factory.
A contemporary interpretation of le Carré’s espionage drama and the first television adaptation of a le Carré novel in more than 20 years, “The Night Manager” (6 x 60’) encompasses love, loss and revenge in a twisting tale of modern criminality. The eagerly anticipated series follows former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) as he navigates the shadowy recesses of Whitehall and Washington where an unholy alliance operates between the intelligence community and the secret international arms trade. To infiltrate the inner circle of lethal arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie), Pine must himself become a criminal.
“From a terrific piece of source material with great producers in The Ink Factory, a phenomenal writer in David Farr, an award-winning director in Susanne Bier, and two incredibly talented actors, ‘The Night Manager’ really is the whole package,” commented Bruce Tuchman, President, AMC and Sundance Channel Global. “It represents AMC Global’s continuing commitment to working with the international production community to bring the very best television to our channels across the world. It is programming of this quality which continues to fuel the growth of AMC Global’s international footprint, resulting in increased demand from operators and viewers alike.”
Simon Cornwell of The Ink Factory said: “Working with AMC to deliver “The Night Manager” to international audiences is a huge privilege. AMC has established itself as one of the great innovators in television in the 21st century, and alongside the BBC we believe they are the best possible partners to support this incredible project. In Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston we have the core of an extraordinary cast, in Susanne Bier a great director, and in David Farr, an exceptional writer who is bringing a brilliant contemporary take to one of le Carré’s finest novels. We couldn’t be more excited!”
Hugh Laurie said: “I loved The Night Manager when it was published, and for more than 20 years have yearned to see it realized on screen; I am now thrilled and honored to have the frontest of front row seats. All the moving parts are finely machined – we just have to not mess it up.”
Published in 1993, The Night Manager is one of le Carré’s most beloved and critically acclaimed books. A fusion of spy story and a tale of organized crime, the novel was a best-seller in the United States and the UK, translated into over 20 languages and selling over a million copies in North America alone.
“The Night Manager” is produced by The Ink Factory (A Most Wanted Man) for broadcast on BBC One and AMC internationally in 2016. Executive producers are Stephen Cornwell and Simon Cornwell for The Ink Factory, Stephen Garrett, David Farr, and Polly Hill for the BBC. The series was commissioned for BBC One by Charlotte Moore and Ben Stephenson, and Joel Stillerman, Marci Wiseman and Kristin Jones for AMC. “The Night Manager” is adapted by David Farr (Hanna, “Spooks”) from John le Carré’s original novel. Rob Bullock (“The Suspicions of Mr Whicher,” “Chasing Shadows”) will produce for The Ink Factory.
The Ink Factory, Laurie and Hiddleston are represented by WME. IMG negotiated the deal with AMC Networks International. Laurie is represented by Hamilton Hodell in the UK. Hiddleston is represented by Hamilton Hodell and Ziffren Brittenham, and managed by Authentic Talent and Literary. Bier is represented by CAA, Brillstein and Lichter, Grossman.
About AMC Networks International
AMC Networks International (AMCNI), the global division of AMC Networks, delivers entertaining and acclaimed programming that reaches subscribers in more than 140 countries and territories, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. AMCNI consists of global brands, Sundance Channel and AMC, as well as popular, locally recognized channels in various programming genres. For more information, visit: www.www.amcnetworks.com/amcni.
About The Ink Factory
THE INK FACTORY was founded in 2010 by Stephen and Simon Cornwell. Most recently the company produced John le Carré adaptation A Most Wanted Man, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it is currently in post-production on Our Kind of Traitor, starring Ewan McGregor, also adapted from the le Carré novel. The company is currently developing several further projects based on works by John le Carré, and a range of material from other world-class talent, including the adaptation of Ben Fountain’s novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, slated to be directed by Ang Lee in the Spring of 2015; Hanns and Rudolf, based on the best-selling book about the hunt for the kommandant of Auschwitz by Thomas Harding; and Message From The King, the black-list thriller by Stephen Cornwell and Oliver Butcher.
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