Joe Alwyn is set to join the cast of upcoming espionage thriller “Legacy of Spies,” a joint BBC/MGM+ co-production.
Alwyn will play MI6 agent Jim Prideaux in the eight-part series, which is based on John le Carré’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” while Hugh Laurie joins as his spy agency boss Control.
It was previously announced that Matthew Macfadyen would play George Smiley alongside Charlie Hunnam as field operative Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as Josef Fiedler and Dan Stevens as Bill Haydon.
Anjana Vasan (“We Are Lady Parts”), Charlotte Ritchie (“You”), Lee Ross (“Andor”) James McArdle (“Mare of Easttown”), John Dagleish (“Sexy Beast”), Goran Bogdan (“The Last Panthers”) and Adam Hugill (“Sherwood”) round out the new cast additions.
Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu, Agnes O’Casey, Felix Kammerer, Jake Dunn, Safia Oakley-Green, Ariyon Bakare, Patrick Güldenberg, Volker Bruch and Saskia Rosendahl also star.
Claudia Llosa (“The Vampire Lestat”) joins as lead director and executive producer. Michael Lennox is second director on the series.
The show is set to be a family production with le Carré’s sons, Stephen, Simon and Nick Cornwell steering the ship. Stephen Cornwell (“Message from the King”) showruns and writes the series alongside Clarissa Ingram. Simon Cornwell exec produces while Nick Cornwell is executive producer for the John le Carré estate.
“We are delighted to have Academy Award nominee and Golden Bear winner Claudia Llosa bring her vision and cinematic sensibility to ‘Legacy,’” said Stephen and Simon Cornwell brothers. “Her joining Michael on directorial duties has only compounded what is shaping up to be a truly remarkable production.”
“To be reunited with Hugh Laurie and Joe Alwyn as Control and Prideaux is a remarkable privilege as we build out the world of the Circus. It’s wonderful to welcome Hugh into a new dimension of the le Carré universe alongside his brilliant portrayal of Richard Roper in ‘The Night Manager,’ and we’re thrilled that Joe, who we first worked with on Ang Lee’s ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,’ is now joining us in this momentous undertaking as well.
“There is something profound about watching our father’s universe brought to life by actors of this calibre, and it is extraordinary seeing the ensemble take flight. It’s everything we could have hoped for and more.”
“Legacy of Spies” is produced by The Ink Factory, in co-production with Amusement Park Film and in association with 127 Wall Productions and Paramount Television Studios, for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and MGM+. Fifth Season is repping global sales.