Captained by Michael Fassbender with a ing cast that boasts acclaimed talent like Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, and Jodie Turner-Smith, this ten-episode series locks in on Martian (Fassbender), a veteran CIA operative who is ordered to exit his undercover role and return to London Station after six consecutive years in the field.
Martian's story runs parallel to two other CIA operatives, Coyote (Alex Reznik) and Danny (Saura Lightfoot-Leon), both of which find themselves at very different stages of their covert careers. Tension turns up to an 11 when Martian is reunited with Sami (Jodie Turner-Smith), a former flame from his life before lies, and is faced with a moral dilemma within his secret work.
The Agency Review: Michael Fassbender Is The Perfect Spy In Enthralling Thriller Series On Paramount+
The Agency does not reinvent the wheel, but it offers a great turn from Michael Fassbender in the lead role and a few intriguing mysteries to unravel.
Screen Rant was on-site for The Agency's world premiere in New York City and spoke with several of the Showtime program's cast and crew on the red carpet.
Michael Fassbender Compares The Agency's Martian to The Killer
Fassbender Played a Similar Character For David Fincher in 2022
Screen Rant: You're no stranger to sacrificing your personal life to take on a character like this. I love The Killer that you did a couple years back. Did you find any parallels between Martian and The Killer?
Michael Fassbender: Yeah, I did actually. Both of them seem to be in crisis. They're both sociopaths. They're different, but a lot of things are contained with [them]. There's this sort of uneasiness within them in of melting into a social scene or being easy in a social environment, but they are also different. I think Martian's definitely easier with that. He also has a family, an ex-wife and a daughter. There were similarities, the sociopathic sort of tendencies in both of them in crisis with that.
And those are just two characters in your extensive filmography. You played David in the Alien movies. You played Magneto and all the Fox X-Men movies. What would intrigue you more: finishing your trilogy as David in the Alien franchise or bringing your version of Magneto into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Michael Fassbender: I don't really think about either, to be honest. I'm concentrated on this (The Agency) and I don't look into the future that much. I had a great time doing both. [I was] very lucky, I feel, to work with Ridley Scott. Love him. We did three films together. If he wants to go for another one, I'm always there to work with him. He is a master, but I don't really think about it.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Jodie Turner-Smith Teases Sami's Dynamic With Michael Fassbender's Martian In The Agency
The Actress Stars Opposite Fassbender's CIA Operative
Screen Rant: Your character has such a fascinating dynamic with Martian. It's tension-filled. There's so much going on. What can you tease fans about what that dynamic is going to be like?
Jodie Turner-Smith: There's a lot more to come from Sami, a lot more to come. We don't know what she's up to, what's going on, and what is the thing that is dangerous for Martian. We'll see.
We shall see. Also in your future, you have Tron: Ares coming out next year. Is your Athena as wise as the real goddess of wisdom?
Jodie Turner-Smith: She's wise, and she's also a warrior.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Joe Wright Pulls From Vintage Franchises For The Agency
The Director Likened The Series to The Ipcress Files
Screen Rant: The world of spies is in such good hands right now in Hollywood. For fans who are going to watch this show, who are already familiar with the spy genre, what are some good comparison films or series that you think you pulled from tonally to create The Agency?
Joe Wright: I'm a big fan of those kind of '60s and '70s spy thrillers. I feel like in the '60s there was a sort of fork in the road where James Bond went one way and The Ipcress File [with] Michael Caine went the other way, and this is certainly more of that genre.
Absolutely. You work with George Clooney on this project. He was producing it. What was it like to work with George, and what were some of the things he impacted when it came to production?
Joe Wright: It was great kind of working with him and getting his on the scripts and so on. I think [he impacted] pace. I think the pace was important.
Awesome. There are a couple of projects of yours that I absolutely love. The "Nosedive" episode of Black Mirror I think is fantastic. Also, Pan from 2015. Once upon a time, there was going to be a spin-off based on Hook. Is there any update on that? Is it ever going to see the light of day?
Joe Wright: I have no idea. I have no idea about that.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Alex Reznik Saw Signs of His The Agency Character Everywhere
Reznik Was Reminded of "Coyote" in His Personal Life
creen Rant: You got the best blazer on this carpet. You've also got the best character name [in the show].
Alex Reznik: I'll give you a funny story. We started shooting in June, in London. The whole shoot took place in London, in Estonia, and so I came home. I live in LA and I was walking my dog in my neighborhood and I'm seeing signs of a coyote. People are saying, 'Careful, coyotes are starting to appear in the neighborhood.' This was after I was cast. I already knew the character name. No. This is a neighborhood where I would usually walk my dog. So when I came back I wasn't in between episodes, I would come home and I would go and walk my dog and these signs started to appear. 'We have a coyote in the neighborhood. Be careful.' And now I'm literally, I'm Coyote in the neighborhood.
Screen Rant: What can you tell us about Coyote?
Alex Reznik: Coyote is a covert agent who's been stationed in Belarus for the past three, four years, maybe five. He is there as a financial analyst just like Martian (Fassbender), who is coming back from six years. Coyote's in the trenches. So what's kind of cool with the show with us, like myself, Sarah's character Danny and Martian, you get to see three different stages of what it's like to be a CIA agent. Living this double life, basically a covert agent and placed overseas.
Martian coming back, having to deal with the psychological element of what it is like to be away from everyone for six years and restart your life. Coyote is in the trenches. He is throwing punches left and right, but also is throwing curve balls because he is accumulating, supposed to accumulate assets for the government and help what is happening right now in the current events, which is the war in Russia and between Russia and Ukraine.
Screen Rant: You had a role in The Social Network many years ago. One of the greatest movies of all time, in my opinion. There's always talk about possibly doing a sequel; Jesse Eisenberg was talking about it recently. Do you see value in revisiting that film and if so, would you be back?
Alex Reznik: I think they are working on this already. I think there's something in the works. I think Mr. Sorkin has been penning something. I don't know if I would be back, but look, it's the next chapter. I think it'd be great to see what has happened when the movie came out in 2010. A lot has changed. What's going on with the Winklevosses? Where are they? Obviously we know where Zuckerberg's at, but I am curious. I think that that's something that could be in the works.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Harriet Sansom Harris Teases Tense Dynamic With Michael Fassbender In The Agency
Harris's Dr. Blake Serves in a Therapeutic Role to Fassbender's Martian
Screen Rant: Harriet, congrats on this show. It's absolutely phenomenal. What can you tell me about Dr. Blake?
Harriet Sansom Harris: I think she's fascinating. I was so thrilled that they wanted me to play this part because I knew it would be with Michael Fassbender, and I'm a big fan of Michael's. I knew that she gives him a hard time, but she also is attracted to him. Maybe not in a kind of hubba hubba kind of way, but it's hard with Michael not to sort of think that there's a lot going on there, but that he's so fascinating and she has to keep turning over that puzzle to try and get some kind of clarity on who he is and what his motivations are and really is he fit to go back out in the field because he's come home after six years. That's a long time for any agent to be somebody else.
As an actor, the longest run I think I've ever done is 16 months, and you do start to identify with the character to some extent. You don't start carrying knives around, but to be somebody else, you have different relationships, you really leave behind everybody. I think maybe I got a little bit of a hint about that when I was in London for five months. It couldn't be more wonderful because it's London and it's just so fantastic. Then every once in a while, I would think it would be so great to just go home for a week. Michael's character can never do that.
He's out there and there's unrelenting pressure to be this other person that he's crafted and be that person perfectly. I think that was a very exciting idea, that he's at war with himself. He's sort of at war with the world in a way, and it's her job to see if he can produce again. It's mean. It's really almost like a physical therapist saying, come on, you can do it.
Screen Rant: I'm excited to pull back the layers on Martian. This is a spy show, but it seems like the big focal point is human interactions and conversations. Without getting into spoilers, did you have a scene with a particular character that you felt that conversation just really resonated with you as an actor?
Harriet Sansom Harris: I think every scene I had with Michael, but I also had a great scene with Jeffrey. I have a wonderful scene with Katherine where it's very quick and sort of lively, but it's getting a beat on somebody else. Everybody's so much fun to work with. I don't know that I have a favorite scene. There's a bigger scene than others, and that really was a great scene, I think.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Saura Lightfoot-Leon's Rookie Agent Goes All In On The Agency
Danny Finds Herself On The Opposite Side Of Martian & Coyote
Screen Rant: I love how much I've been on the edge of my seat watching [this show]. Can you tell me a little bit about your character and her role in The Agency?
Saura Lightfoot-Leon: I play Danny, who is a young covert trainee who's kind of thrown in the deep end. You get to see her struggle as she's learning the ways of the world and also the human ways of having to deal with the sacrifices you have to make and being in high-pressure situations, being fast on our feet.
There's a lot of great talent involved in this project, especially behind the camera. George Clooney helped produce this. Did you ever get to work with George and just see what his fingerprints were like to have on the show?
Saura Lightfoot-Leon: I haven't met him yet, which is a shame. I know. But there was Grant Heslov who was producing and directing as well, who's his partner in the work. Grant's wonderful. We had a lot of people who were kind of top-tier, I'd say, like you said, cast and crew. It felt like everyone was kind of pushing the show forward. I feel really lucky to be part of it.
The spy genre as a whole seems really strong in Hollywood right now. The Mission: Impossible movies. James Bond wrapped up nicely with Daniel Craig. What does The Agency add to this genre? What makes The Agency unique?
Saura Lightfoot-Leon: The darkness of it. It's not a flashy show. It's about real people who are living this life. It's kind of the ugly side of it as well as the cool side. There's lots of cool things, but yeah, it's the human, the version of it.
We'll wrap up with this one. You mentioned that your character has to give up a lot in order to take on this life. If you were a secret agent and you had to give up something in your life, what would be the most difficult to detach yourself from?
Saura Lightfoot-Leon: My family.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Reza Brojerdi Coincidentally Shares A Name With His Character In The Agency
Brojerdi Plays Reza in The Agency... And In Life
Screen Rant: Reza, your character has the same name as you in real life. Was that a coincidence or did that happen because your name is Reza?
Reza Brojerdi: I received the sides for the audition and the guy was named Reza and I did the audition and I said at the end of the audition, 'Look, I'm a real Reza, I can do this.' And maybe they liked it. I don't know. It just happened. And they asked me if I'm okay with it and I said, 'Yeah, sure. Why not?'
What's the biggest difference between Reza in real life, yourself, and Reza the character, and also what's the biggest similarity?
Reza Brojerdi: The biggest difference is I think is that he's working for different ideas than I do in real life. And the biggest similarity is that we are both Iranian. I was born in Iran too.
Wow. How about that? The Agency is coming out at a time when the spy genre is so rich in Hollywood. What does The Agency add to this genre?
Reza Brojerdi: To me, it's a very different thing. I've seen a lot of agent movies. I've seen a lot of action movies. And this one is different because it goes deeper into the characters, into what they have to go through. What if you want to be a spy? I think it costs you a lot, a lot more than most movies will tell you or shows or series. And this one is sharp.
And you mentioned too, the fact that we're on the edge of our seat because it's serialized television. Does it also help the fact that we've seen so many spy movies, but you get your resolution in the theater. This time, it's week to week. We're getting to flesh out the characters. Does having it in episodic format make it all the more unique?
Reza Brojerdi: I am not sure. I can't tell that. I think the show, I mean, it's so extraordinarily written and the characters we have, they are so special and unique. I think this is going to be the most important thing, that these characters drive this show slowly to where it has to go.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
Christopher McDonald Shows For The Agency & Teases Happy Gilmore 2
The Happy Gilmore Actor Has Love For The Spy Genre
Screen Rant: What brings you here tonight to screen The Agency?
Christopher McDonald: Well, I'm a fan of this genre. I love the actors that are in it. Michael Fassbender's great. Richard Gere. I like to see him out and about. Jeffrey Wright. It's just great people and a great story. I watched the trailer, I said, 'Oh yeah, I'm in.' I took my wife. I'm in New York here making a little movie and I thought I have a night off. They invited me. I'm going. I got through the rain. It's pouring out there, by the way. We got down and made some time and got here early.
You mentioned that spy franchises are pretty big within your realm of what you're watching. What is the go-to spy franchise for you?
Christopher McDonald: Well, I'd have to go with James Bond. You could pick any Bonds starting with the greats of the beginning and then right up to the great Daniel Craig. I watched them several times. Tom Cruise does some really good [spy movies] too. He kills it in [those Mission: Impossible movies] and he does his own stunts. He's top of his game, so that kind of thing. I really love watching how much effort they put into it. I know it takes a lot, a lot, a lot of work, so I'm a big fan of it, that whole genre, just because it's something right down my alley.
The world of spies is in good hands right now in Hollywood. So is the world of comedy. You're returning to Happy Gilmore reuniting with Ben Stiller as well as Adam Sandler. One of my favorite wrestlers, MJF, is in the movie as well. What was it like to be back on set with those guys and also integrate with some of the new guys?
Christopher McDonald: Can't even talk about it. No. Nice try, huh? You tried to get me out of my NDA (laughs). No, I learned my lesson. I got my wrist slapped. There are a lot of great people in it. You're going to be happily surprised to see some of the people they have. It's filled with cameos of wonderful people, and the story's terrific. It's great, and it's about time they did it because the fans demand it. It's all very exciting, so I'm delighted to be part of it.
Are there any characters from earlier on in your career that you'd like to revisit, like Shooter McGavin?
Christopher McDonald: Oh, sure. I'd do Darryl Dickinson again in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise. He was a piece of work. He was the kind of guy you see in airports. Just a delightful character. It had a lot of comedy to it. At the same time, I played several characters I'd like to redo again, but that one stands out the most because I just saw Gladiator II yesterday and absolutely loved it, and Ridley's still doing it in his mid-eighties. God love him.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
More About The Agency Season 1
Based on the French series Le Bureau des Légendes, Showtime's The Agency is a fresh take on the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, the all-new espionage political thriller follows Martian (Fassbender), 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, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.
Check out Screen Rant's other interviews from The Agency here:
The Agency premieres on Paramount+ (with SHOWTIME) on November 29.
The Agency
- Release Date
- November 29, 2024
- Network
- Paramount+ with Showtime
- Directors
- Joe Wright
Cast
Henry
Martian
WHERE TO WATCH
The Agency is a 2024 espionage thriller following covert CIA agent Martian, who is recalled to London Station, disrupting his undercover life. As a former romance rekindles, Martian's career and true identity are jeopardized, leading him into a high-stakes world of international intrigue and deception.
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