Joe Wright is back in the espionage genre with Pride & Prejudice and Atonement adaptations, the latter of which netted him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director. The years since have seen him tackle everything from smaller historical dramas to blockbuster productions, including the Gary Oldman-led biographical war drama Darkest Hour and Peter Pan prequel Pan.

Based on the critically acclaimed French series Le Bureau des Légendes, The Agency puts its focus on Michael Fassbender's Martian, a CIA agent suddenly pulled from his undercover assignment in Addis Ababa, which forces him to break off his relationship with local academic Sami. As he tries to adjust to his life back in London, Martian is surprised to learn that Sami is now in the country, seemingly presenting them with another chance. Even still, Martian and his CIA office find themselves scrambling to determine the status of a missing undercover agent in Russia.

Alongside Fassbender, the ensemble Agency cast includes Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright, Golden Globe winner Richard Gere, The Acolyte's Jodie Turner-Smith, Alien: Covenant's Katherine Waterston, September 5's John Magaro, Emmy nominee Hugh Bonneville, Werewolf by Night's Harriet Sansom Harris and American Primeval's Saura Lightfoot-Leon, among others. Hailing from Ford v. Ferrari duo Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, the show proves to be an engaging mix of political thrills, moving character drama and thought-provoking themes.

Ahead of the show's premiere, Screen Rant interviewed director/executive producer Joe Wright to discuss The Agency, making his proper return to the espionage thriller genre for the first time since Hanna, finding the unique balance of the show's tones, and its color palette and how it reflects Martian's journey throughout the show.

Wright Loves The Espionage Genre For A Few Key Reasons

"That's a great fun world to play within."

Screen Rant: I'm really thrilled to chat about The Agency with you. I've seen the first few episodes, and it's just such a gripping ride already, I can't wait to see how the rest of it plays out. I also love that this is your first big return to the espionage thriller genre since Hanna. What is it like for you stepping back into that field with this show?

Joe Wright: I've always really loved espionage shows. For me, they are essentially about the nature of authenticity, of what's a lie and what's the authentic self, the duplicity of character. That's a great fun world to play within.

A Project With Multiple Tones "Kind Of Reveals Itself" To A Director

"...it's my job to enable that to grow further..."

And it leads to so many great characters and great intrigue. One thing about this show is I feel you have an interesting tonal balance of little moments of levity as well as really serious moments and a little bit of action. What is it like, from a direction standpoint, going off of what the Butterworths wrote to really find that balance?

Joe Wright: It kind of reveals itself to you. II think you can try and control a piece of work, but generally, there's a seed, and that seed grows through the process of developing the script, and then it's my job to enable that to grow further and to allow it to be itself. The piece does walk a fine balance between something with some kind of genuine attempts at conveying the experience of living the life that these people live. But I think humor is really important as well. I never really believe a show that doesn't have humor, because our lives are full of humor, so that humor is also important to depict real life.

The Agency's Color Palette Swap Is "Metaphorical" Of Martian's Journey

"...it's very much about kind of the dirt of this city."

Another thing I love about your work on the show is the color palette, in that it feels almost very muted and sort of cold. Was that an intentional decision on your part to really capture the calculated thinking of the agency, so to speak?

Joe Wright: Yeah. Interestingly, the opening scenes of the show, which take place in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, are full of color, and that's the world he's leaving behind. Paradoxically, when he was there pretending to be someone else, when he was living under an alias, he felt most alive, and he felt most authentic. And then, he returns to London, and wishes that he could get back to that color, that authenticity, and most importantly, get back to the woman he loves, but is trapped in London in a prison of lies. So, that color palette felt to be somehow metaphorical of the situation that he found himself in. There are some kind of dirty yellows in there, as well as some warm tones. But it's very much about kind of the dirt of this city.

About The Agency

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 our other The Agency interviews with:

• The Cast & Joe Wright On The Red Carpet
• Jeffrey Wright
• Richard Gere
• Jodie Turner-Smith

The first two episodes of The Agency premiere Friday, November 29 on Paramount+ with Showtime, followed by Showtime on December 1 at 9 p.m. EST.

Source: Screen Rant Plus