AMC has made another casting addition to its upcoming miniseries adaptation of John le Carré’s The Little Drummer Girl with the news that Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water) has joined Alexander Skarsgard (Big Little Lies) and Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) in the series.
Shannon will portray Kurtz, an Isreali spymaster who recruits Pugh’s character into a complex game of stakes with his intelligence colleague, who is played by Skarsgard. Park Chan-wook is set to direct the six-episode series with production to begin early next year. AMC is producing the series with The Ink Factory.
Simon and Stephen Cornwell, co-CEOs and Founders of The Ink Factory and le Carré’s children, said “Michael is an actor of the highest calibre, and we are excited to welcome him to the stellar group of talent this project is amassing. Under the direction of a consummate auteur and opposite two equally dynamic actors – we are confident that he will channel the complex combination of tension and gravitas within Kurtz which is shot through the narrative.”
“The first time I saw Michael was as one of the genius actors who delivered wonderful performances in Revolutionary Road, and ever since I’ve remained his loyal fan,” said Chan-wook. “I believe Michael will make the perfect Kurtz, a man scarred by history and carrying burdens all too heavy on his shoulders, an Israeli ‘Captain Ahab’ obsessed by his biggest and most elusive nemesis yet.”
John le Carré has had a long career in writing gritty, captivating and realistic espionage thrillers. Several other pieces of his work have been adapted to screen, such as A Most Wanted Man, The Constant Gardener, The Tailor of Panama and twice with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He most recently came out with a new book continuing the story of his character George Smiley in A Legacy of Spies. The synopsis for The Little Drummer Girl reads:
Charlie is a promiscuous, unsuccessful English actress in her twenties. Intrigued by a handsome, solitary stranger, she finds herself lured into the “theatre of the real.” For the mysterious man is Kurtz, an embattled Israeli intelligence officer out to stop the bombing of Jews in Europe. Forced to play her most challenging role, Charlie is plunged into a deceptive and delicate trap set to ensnare an elusive Palestinian terrorist … and soon proves herself a double agent of the highest order.
