A post-Billions Damian Lewis will team up with Guy Pearce on a new limited series A Spy Among Friends, which is set during the Cold War. Pearce is replacing Dominic West, who was originally tied to the project over a year ago. Lewis will reteam with Homeland executive producer Alexander Cary, who is the creator and executive producer of this new series. Lewis will also serve as an executive producer, alongside ITV Studios’ Patrick Spence.
The series is based on Ben Macintyre’s book of the same name, a non-fiction thriller that follows the story of one of the greatest spies in history, Kim Philby. Philby is a British intelligence officer and secretly a KGB double agent, who will be played by Pearce. The series will follow the perspective of his close friend and MI6 colleague, Nicholas Elliott, who will be played by Lewis. A Spy Among Friends examines the fallout between East and West relations, as well as friendship and nationality that has striking parallels to today. Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Kunken and Adrian Edmondson are also set to star.
In an official statement, Lewis said:
“I’m excited to be producing and starring in A Spy Among Friends. These fabulous scripts by Alex Cary take an up-close look at friendship — a friendship that was blinded by love, class and membership to the right clubs, and ended in betrayal and the deaths of thousands. It’s been a fantastic creative process developing A Spy Among Friends and now I can’t wait to start filming with Guy and all the other brilliant actors who’ve happily agreed to join us.”
This will be Lewis' first project following the end of Billions, which is set to have its sixth and final season next year. Lewis won his first Emmy for playing a double agent himself in Homeland, so it will be interesting to see him star as a tried and true countryman in this new series.
Additionally, Pearce also said:
“It’s an honor to be a part of this thrilling project. I’ve always been fascinated by the intriguing MI6 history and getting to go on this journey with Damian makes it all the more brilliant."
Pearce can most recently be seen in HBO's Mare of Easttown, which just snagged an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama Series for his co-star Kate Winslet. He will also star in Martin Campbell's Memory, a remake of the 2003 Belgian thriller The Memory of a Killer. Finally, he has also been cast in 37 Heavens with Gemma Arterton, playing Lord David Harlech and Jackie Kennedy respectively. The film will follow their brief but intense affair following President Kennedy's death.
A Spy Among Friends will screen on Spectrum Originals and BritBox UK sometime in the fall of 2022. Production has already started in London, with some shoots also taking place in Romania.