'The Agency' Trailer Romances The Spy

Paramount may not last too much longer under the current configuration as Skydance finishes the long process of merging the two companies. But until then, Paramount+ will continue randomly debuting series greenlit by those who have long since been fired or counting the days until they join those ranks. Most of those are British set series; Paramount+ canceled most TV shows in production in the U.K. or destined for Paramount+ UK. However, those shows contracted by Showtime are still arriving, albeit on Paramount+ instead of the TV network.

The Agency is one of the few series left from that crowd, including A Gentleman in Moscow and The Woman in the Wall. All three have much in common, starting with the central star also being a producer on the project, making it much harder to slide off the schedule. (A Gentleman in Moscow had Ewan McGregor, The Woman in the Wall had Ruth Wilson, and The Agency has Michael Fassbender.) 

The Agency also has another relationship factor that kept it from the chopping block: it's a remake of a popular French series, The Bureau, which already streams in America on AMC+. Being based on an internationally recognized series gives The Agency added value for attracting global audiences as well as American ones. On top of that, the story of a spy who breaks his own heart when he follows orders to leave the love of his life behind and return home, only to have said love track him down and find him again, putting several lives in danger, makes this a genre mix series of spycraft, thriller, and romance.

Here's The Agency's synopsis:

A fresh take on the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, the all-new political thriller follows Martian, a covert CIA agent ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, real identity, and mission are pitted against his heart, hurling them into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.

Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jodie Turner-Smith (Anne Boleyn), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), and Richard Gere (Pretty Woman) lead the cast. The agency boasts an extensive roster of co-stars as well: Dominic West (The Crown), Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), David Harewood (Sherwood), Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts), Adam Nagaitis (The Responder), Ambreen Razia (Starstruck), Bilal Hasna (Extraordinary), John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy), Ray BLK (Champion), Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (The Ipcress File), Andrew Brooke (Criminal Record), Harriet Sansom Harris (Atlantic Crossing), India Fowler (The Nevers), Kurt Egyiawan (House of the Dragon), and Saura Lightfoot-Leon (Hoard).

Jez & John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow) wrote all nine episodes, and Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) directed the first two. The Butterworths, Wright, and Fassbender are executive producers along with George Clooney & Grant Heslov via their Smokehouse Pictures; Keith Cox & Nina L. Diaz of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin & Bob Yari of 101 Studios; Alex Berger for TOP-The Originals Productions; and Ashley Stern & Pascal Breton for Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America.

The Agency debuts with two episodes on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, November 29, 2024, followed by one a week through the end of the year.