I’ve previously described The Bureau — the spy series regarded as France’s answer to Homeland — as one of my favorite espionage dramas of all time. Also, even though an American remake titled The Agency is in the works, I’m super-excited rather than skeptical about the forthcoming adaptation. Now, though, I’m going to go even further and declare that I actually think The Agency actually has a chance to stand alongside the best spy dramas of the past decade once it debuts later this year on Paramount+ With Showtime.
Here’s why my hope springs eternal for this new series.
Let’s start with the cast. First, we have Michael Fassbender starring as Martian — he’s described as a “covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.” This is essentially a tweaked version of the character Malotru from the original series (known as Le Bureau des Légendes in France).
And the cast keeps getting stronger from there.
Richard Gere has also boarded The Agency, in one of the only regular TV roles of his entire career. He’ll play a character named Bosky, whose official character description identifies him as “the London Station Chief with a storied past after serving as an 8-year undercover agent.”
Jeffrey Wright is also set to star as Henry, the CIA’s Director of Operations and a mentor to Fassbender’s Martian. Chris McCarthy, co-CEO of Paramount Global, released separate statements about Gere’s and Wright’s addition to the series, raving about the former that Gere “is in a class of his own … for his exceptional ability to infuse depth and authenticity into every role he plays.”
McCarthy adds that Wright, meanwhile, “doesn’t just portray characters – he inhabits them completely, infusing each role with raw, emotional power and profound, psychological insight.”
As for why else I’m excited about the series, The Agency was written by brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (who also co-wrote the underrated Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow), and Fassbender is the series producer along with George Clooney. But you don’t have to take my word for it; in 2022, I interviewed several former intelligence professionals for The Guardian, and almost every single one listed The Bureau as one of the best spy shows of all time.
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