James Bondactor Jeffrey Wright compares his new spy series to the 007 franchise.The Oscar-nominated actor made his debut asCIA agent Felix Leiterin 2006’sCasino Royalealongside Daniel Craig’s titular Agent 007 and has since starred in two other films in the franchise. While theactor is one of the many actors to portray the often-thankless part, many consider his version of Felix one of the best in the franchise. He also broke the record for playing the character three times.
In 2008, the Felix actor returned for a smaller role inQuantum of Solaceand sat out the next two films in the franchise before reprising his role as Bond’s CIA counterpart inCraig’s final mission inNo Time to Die.Outside ofJames Bond,Wright was involved in some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, including DC,The Hunger Games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Aside from the aforementioned blockbuster franchises, the Golden Globe Award winner is also known for his acclaimed turn as Bernard in HBO’sWestworldand was nominated for an Academy Award for his role inAmerican Fiction.
Jeffrey Wright Compares His Upcoming Spy Series, The Agency, To James Bond
The Star Teases The Agency’s Attention To Details
Wright’s upcoming spy series, titledThe Agency, follows a covert CIA agent,Martian (Michael Fassbender), who’s ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to the bureau’s London Station. Produced by Paramount+ and Showtime, the series is set to premiere on Friday, November 29 with the first two episodes.Wright plays Martian’s boss, Henry, inThe Agencycast alongside Richard Gere, Hugh Bonneville, Katherine Waterston, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Magaro, and others.
In an interview withScreen Rantahead of the show’s premiere, Wright details how the new spy series will be different from theJames Bondfranchise. Wright reveals that the series takes “a very different angle on the spy genre” than theJames Bondseries, with both being “highly detailed”, but thatthe 007 franchise is far more “fantastical” whileThe Agencypays more attention to “the political reality” of the world.Check out what he said below:
Yeah, this is a very different angle on the spy genre than what I’ve previously done with the James Bond series. I love the Bond series, I’ve loved the Bond series since I was a kid. It’s highly detailed, but it’s also fantastical. Our show is highly detailed, but with an attention more to kind of the political reality that this world is up against, and that reality is very similar to the geopolitical world that we’re all experiencing today. So that, I think, adds to the kind of heightened tension within the series, but I also think that it lends a greater accessibility for the audience, because this is a familiar setting. At the same time, we’re not like an overtly political show, we’re just using that backdrop as a means of exploring the humanity of these characters, and the challenges that they face, and the tensions between loyalty to work and loyalty to self, and to love and things like this. So it makes for fertile ground for storytelling.
Our Take On How The Agency Will Differ From Bond
The SHow Wins With Intricate Worldbuilding
The Agency’s trailerteasesa heart-wrenching story set in the spy world.Martian is returning home after being undercover for six years, and as part of his psychological evaluation, he has to disclose any secrets that the bureau didn’t previously know, which opens a door to his past, including that he had a relationship with a woman he met while on a mission, who the bureau suspects might be playing him.
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The series' premise also promises “a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage"with characters “fighting their own battles as they grapple with existential threats to the nation and the world.” Wright’s comment offers fans some insight into howThe Agencyapproaches the complicated and intricate storylines it promised in comparison tothe genre-definingJames Bondfranchise. The series doesn’t just look the part, it’ll also win fans' hearts with highly detailed world-building and political drama.
The Agency (2024)
Cast
This espionage thriller follows covert CIA agent Martian as he is recalled to London Station, disrupting his undercover life. When a past romance resurfaces, he must navigate a perilous blend of love, professional duty, and identity, entwined in a complex web of international intrigue and espionage.
