AMC Readies ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’ Limited Series

Spy Who Came In From the Cold

AMC and BBC announced they’re working on a dramatic series based on John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, hot on the heels of their success with Le Carré’s The Night Manager. The bestselling spy novel was released in 1963 and will be adapted into a limited series by Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire). The critically acclaimed novel, which Beaufoy calls “the best Cold War spy story ever written,” was the made into a feature film starring Richard Burton, Claire Bloom, and Oskar Werner back in 1965.

Commenting on the series, author John le Carré said, ““I’m very excited by the project, and have great confidence in the team.”

“John le Carré is one of the master story-tellers of our time, and to have the opportunity once again to put his page to our screen is an absolute privilege,” stated Joel Stillerman, President of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Spy is a deep tale of intrigue in one of the most uncertain times in history. We’re very much looking forward to continuing our great partnership with Ink Factory and BBC as well as Paramount Television.”


Controller of BBC Drama Piers Wenger added, “Following the huge global success of The Night Manager, it’s a privilege to announce that John Le Carré will return to BBC One with one of the best spy thrillers ever written. Adapted by Simon Beaufoy, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is utterly timely in its evocation of the Cold War period and we are thrilled to be working with The Ink Factory and AMC again to bring this seminal novel to the screen for another unmissable drama series on BBC One.”

The Plot: It is 1962: the height of the Cold War and only months after the building of the Berlin Wall. Alex Leamas is a hard-working, hard-drinking British intelligence officer whose East Berlin network is in tatters. His agents are either on the run or dead, victims of the ruthlessly efficient East German counter-intelligence officer Hans-Dieter Mundt. Leamas is recalled to London- where, to his surprise, he’s offered a chance at revenge. But to get it, he may have to stay out in the cold a little longer…