Originally published November 22, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
AMC has found its male lead for its upcoming miniseries The Little Drummer Girl, the adaptation of John leCarré ‘s spy novel of the same name from director Park Chan-wook (Oldboy). True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgård will be joining Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) for the six-episode series.
Skarsgård will portray Becker, an Israeli intelligence officer, who ropes Pugh’s Charlie into a high-risk espionage plot. Unlike The Night Manager, AMC will keep the series set in the 1970s, the time period that the book is set in. The miniseries is being produced and financed by The Ink Factory, once again working with AMC after The Night Manager. Production on the miniseries will begin early next year
“To play an enigmatic man who hides his true feelings deep inside, I couldn’t think of a more fitting actor,” Chan-wook said of Skarsgård’s casting. “I believe Skarsgård’s growing depth as a great character actor and his soaring energy will elevate The Little Drummer Girl to a higher place.”
Simon and Stephen Cornwell, Co-CEOs and Founders of The Ink Factory, said “The level of expertise and creativity behind this series is unmatched, and we are excited to be gathering a cast of incredible talent to inhabit the brilliant world le Carré has created. Alexander Skarsgård is a captivating actor with great depth and we are delighted to have him join the project.”
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 is:
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.
