Paramount Television and The Ink Factory today announced their plans to develop John le Carré's literary masterpiece THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD into a television event inspired by the iconic spy novel. The limited series will be financed and produced by The Ink Factory in association with Paramount Television and Character 7. Paramount Worldwide Television Licensing & Distribution will handle worldwide distribution of the television series outside of the UK.
The Ink Factory's Stephen Cornwell and Simon Cornwell will executive produce, with Character 7's Stephen Garrett. They most recently collaborated on the acclaimed series The Night Manager, for the BBC and AMC. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman, the hit limited series has garnered a total of twelve Emmy nominations, including for Best Limited Series, Best Directing For a Limited Series, Best Actor in a Limited Series, Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series and Best Supporting Actress.
Le Carré, who served as a writer along with Paul Dehn on the 1965 critically lauded Paramount film of the same name starring Richard Burton, will also executive produce.
Acclaimed screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, two-time Oscar nominee, and Oscar-winner for Slumdog Millionaire, will write the adaptation. "Adapting one of the best thrillers ever written is a rare privilege," he said.
"On the heels of The Night Manager, we look forward to developing a further le Carré novel for a global television audience," said Simon Cornwell of The Ink Factory. "'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' is one of the greatest espionage stories ever told. 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."
"We are thrilled to join forces with The Ink Factory and Simon Beaufoy to bring John le Carré's riveting novel to life," said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. "The level of expertise, creativity and precision behind this series is unmatched and we are excited to be partners in this captivating take on the brilliant world le Carré has created."
"Simon Beaufoy has been a friend and collaborator on projects both in film and television for more than 20 years, and the prospect of reuniting with him on an adaptation of the greatest spy novel ever written by the man who invented the genre could not be more thrilling," said Character 7's Garrett.
Spending seven months at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, and setting a standard that has never been surpassed, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage. The novel begins in the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall as Alec Leamas watches his last agent shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, a senior British intelligence officer in Berlin, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse-a desk job-Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service, with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.
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.
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