EXCLUSIVE: Hugh Laurie is presumably a fan of the works of John le Carré.
The Night Manager star has landed a mystery role in his second le Carré adaptation, the BBC and MGM+’s Legacy of Spies, Deadline can reveal. We understand filming is currently taking place and Laurie’s role will be revealed soon.
Legacy of Spies is one of the BBC and MGM+’s biggest budget bets in recent years. It is based on 1963’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and the 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies, which itself is a prequel and sequel to The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Laurie joins an ensemble cast including Matthew Macfadyen as legendary spymaster George Smiley, Dan Stevens as the enigmatic Bill Haydon, All Quiet on the Western Front’s Felix Kammerer as Hans-Dieter Mundt and Agnes O’Casey, who reprises her Spy Who Came In From The Cold West End role of Liz Gold.
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Laurie plays the snarling, villainous Richard Roper in the BBC and Prime Video’s big-budget adaptation of le Carré’s The Night Manager. With a third season of that one in the works, this puts Laurie in the rare position of starring in two separate adaptations of an author’s work that could land around the same time. He was presumed dead at the start of The Night Manager Season 2, which launched earlier this year, but returned with a vengeance midway through the series to exact revenge on Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine. He was also an EP on The Night Manager.
Laurie also stars in the likes of Apple TV’s Tehran and recently joined Amy Poehler in Peacock’s Dig.
Legacy of Spies comes once again from The Ink Factory, which is run by le Carré’s sons Stephen and Simon Cornwell. Fifth Season is selling worldwide.
The BBC, MGM+ and The Ink Factory declined comment on Laurie’s casting.