Joe Wright is back in the spy genre with The Agency. Having started on the British small screen after his first short films were widely acclaimed, Wright became an international name thanks to the back-to-back successes of the Keira Knightley-led film. Pride and Prejudice and Atonement adaptations, the last of which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director. Over the next few years he tackled everything from small historical dramas to blockbuster productions, including the Gary Oldman-led biographical war drama. Darkest hour and Pedro Pan prequel Pan.
Based on the critically acclaimed French series Le Bureau des Legendes, The Agency puts its focus on Michael Fassbender’s The Martian, a CIA agent suddenly pulled from his secret mission in Addis Ababa, which forces him to break off his relationship with local academic Sami. While trying to adjust to his life in London, Martian is surprised to learn that Sami is now in the country, apparently presenting them with another chance. Still, Martian and his CIA office struggle to determine the status of a missing secret agent in Russia.
Alongside Fassbender, the group Agency The cast includes Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright, Golden Globe winner Richard Gere, The AcolyteJodie Turner-Smith, Alien: AllianceKatherine Waterston, September 5thEmmy nominee John Magaro, Hugh Bonneville, Werewolf at nightHarriet Sansom Harris and American PrimitiveSaura Lightfoot-Leon, among others. Coming from Ford vs Ferrari duo Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the show proves to be an engaging mix of political thrills, moving character drama and thought-provoking themes.
Before the program’s premiere, Screen speech interviewed director/executive producer Joe Wright to discuss The Agencymaking its proper return to the spy thriller genre for the first time since Hannahfinding the unique balance of the show’s tones and its color palette and how it reflects Marciano’s journey throughout the show.
Wright loves the spy genre for a few key reasons
“It’s a really fun world to play around in.”
Screen Rant: I’m very happy to talk about The Agency like you. I’ve seen the first few episodes, and it’s already such an emotional journey that I can’t wait to see how the rest unfolds. I also love that this is your first major return to the spy thriller genre since Hannah. What is it like for you to return to that field with this show?
Joe Wright: I’ve always loved spy shows. For me, they essentially deal with the nature of authenticity, what lies and what the authentic self is, duplicity of character. It’s a really fun world to play around in.
A project with several tones”It kind of reveals itself“For a director
“…it’s my job to allow this to grow even more…”
And that leads to so many great characters and great intrigue. One thing about this show is that I feel like you have an interesting tonal balance of little moments of levity as well as really serious moments and a little bit of action. What’s it like, from a directing perspective, to go outside of what the Butterworths wrote to really find that balance?
Joe Wright: It kind of reveals itself to you. I think you can try to control a work, but usually there’s a seed, and that seed grows during the script development process, and then it’s my job to allow it to grow further and allow it to be itself. The play walks a delicate balance between something and some kind of genuine attempt to convey the experience of living the lives that these people live. But I think humor is also very important. I never really believe in a series that doesn’t have humor, because our lives are full of humor, so this humor is also important to portray real life.
“…it’s a lot about the dirt in this city.”
Another thing I love about your work on the show is the color palette, as it seems almost too soft and kind of cold. Was it an intentional decision on your part to really capture the agency’s calculated thinking, so to speak?
Joe Wright: Yes. Interestingly, the opening scenes of the show, which takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are full of color, and that’s the world he’s leaving behind. Paradoxically, when he was there pretending to be someone else, when he lived under a pseudonym, he felt more alive and more authentic. And so, he returns to London and wishes he could go back to that color, that authenticity, and most importantly, go back to the woman he loves, but he’s trapped in London in a prison of lies. So, that color palette seemed somehow metaphorical of the situation he found himself in. There’s some kind of dirty yellow in there, as well as some warm tones. But it has a lot to do with the dirtiness of this city.
On The Agency
THE AGENCY is a remake of the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, the new political spy thriller follows Martian (Fassbender), a secret CIA agent ordered to abandon his secret life and return to London station. When the love he left behind reappears, the romance is rekindled. Your career, your true identity and your mission are against your heart; throwing them both into a deadly game of intrigue and international espionage.
Stay tuned for our others The Agency interviews with:
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The cast and Joe Wright on the red carpet
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Jeffrey Wright
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Richard Gere
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Jodie Turner-Smith
Source: Screen Rant Plus