After a long wait because of the delays the writer’s strike caused in making new movies, we finally are back with the latest spy movie news! It’s back!
We are glad things are happening again in the movie universe, especially in the spy movie world.
We need to also acknowledge that the industry is changing and many of the spy entertainment projects are coming to either streaming platforms or TV. So, we will be looking at all of these platforms as we go forward.
What’s Coming
So, let’s start with KINGSMAN 3.
KINGSMAN THREE:
KINGSMAN 3 has no official release date because – well, they were supposed to start filming in 2024 but now that is delayed until 2025 because, as Matthew Vaughn said to Collider, “ . . . filming won’t happen until 2025 at the earliest “because Taron’s bloody busy”.
Joe Ledger Novels are becoming a TV Series.
Another espionage novel series is heading to the small screen. The Joe Ledger thriller series consists of 10 novels and various offshoots. Its protagonist, Joe Ledger, is a psychologically fractured Baltimore detective secretly recruited by the government to lead a new task force called the Department of Military Sciences to face off against terrorists using bleeding-edge science weapons. Along with his combat dog Ghost, his team of tier-one special operators, and the resources of the mysterious Mr. Church, Joe faces off against the threats no other team can stop.
We’ve seen a few of these spy novels-to-spy movies or TV quite often. We think this one will be good.
HARBIN
Now let’s look at the Korean Spy thriller, HARBIN. This is a spy series based on events from the early 1900s when Japan forced Korea to agree to become a Japanese colony. As the story progresses, an assassination plot appears against the Japanese Resident-General of Korea.
HARBIN is expected to be released in December 2024.
The Last Spy
Our next bit of spy entertainment is a documentary called “The Last Spy”. This documentary focuses on the now 102-year-old CIA spy, Peter Sheil. It dives into the history of the CIA and the conflicts that we have today.
“The Last Spy” is targeting an early 2025 release.
THE ORDER
The upcoming movie, THE ORDER is anticipating a limited release in the US on December 6, 2024.
This one stars Jude Law, who plays an FBI agent. His mission is to dismantle a terrorist cell.
Jude Law will be presented the GOLDEN EYE Award for his performance in this movie as well as his career at the Zurich Film Festival.
Tempest
The Korean spy drama “Tempest” is in production with an 8-part series expected in 2025. While production has started, they are still filling out the cast. This series will be released on Disney+.
“Tempest” is set in modern-day South Korea, and follows Seo Mun-joo, an excellent diplomat and former ambassador to the United States, and Sang-ho, an international special agent, as they uncover the truth behind a mysterious attack that threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula. This new series will star two of Korea’s top stars including Jeon Ji-hyun who plays the role of Seo Mun-joo, a diplomat who uses her sharp mind to investigate the cause of deadly terrorist attacks. She suddenly became a famous actress with the worldwide hit movie “Mysterious Girlfriend”. The role of Sang-ho, a mysterious investigator shrouded in secrecy, will be played by Kang Dong-won, a popular actor who used to be a model and is known as “the man you want to have as your lover” due to his handsome appearance.
We love that line about his appearance. This could be a good one. We’ll have to wait util next year to find out.
OCEANS 14, is it real?
Mike Fleming Jr tells us that he thinks that OCEANS 14 may become a reality as the next installment of the franchise. He’s hearing that George Clooney and Brad Pitt are returning. And, they are trying to bring with them director Edward Berger.
So, we’re not sure if Mike is right, but if he is, this could be fun. We know that Warner Bros and Smokehouse have been pushing doing an OCEANS 14. But we’ll have to just see.
MUTINY – is this a spy movie?
The details are a bit light on this, but Lionsgate has signed both Jason Statham and Annabelle Wallis for the movie MUTINY.
The tagline for this one is:
“In MUTINY, after his billionaire industrialist boss is murdered in front of him, Cole Reed is set up to take the fall for the crime— leaving him on the run as he works to uncover an international conspiracy.”
The thing is that’s all we have on this one. We don’t know if Cole Reed is a spy or not. But, “he works to uncover an international conspiracy makes us think that he might be.
Filming is supposed to start this fall so we don’t think it will be too long before we get more details on this one.
GOAT
We’ve decoded a few Indian spy movies and like the different ways they are filmed. There is a definite style difference between the UK and US spy movies and Indian spy movies.
The latest Indian spy movie generating a buzz is AGS Entertainment’s THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. This one stars Joseph Vijay who, if you don’t know Indian spy movies, is a huge star. In fact, he’s the highest-paid actor in Tamil cinema. Vijay has the nickname “Thalapathy” which means commander.
This movie is getting even more buzz because there are rumors that this will be Vijay’s last movie.
Vijay plays RAW agent. In case you don’t know, RAW stands for the Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing. It is the Indian equivalent of MI-6 or CIA and is used in most Indian spy movies.
According to the CEO of Chenna, Archana Kalpathi, “there’s a mission that goes wrong. And then after many years it comes back to haunt them”.
This movie has been released in 9 countries already this month but hasn’t hit the UK or US screens. In most countries, it is called THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME. However, in others, it is called GOAT.
So, is that title in tribute to the actor or his character? We’ll have to wait to find out.
Existing Shows – are there new episodes coming?
Lioness
Fans of the series “Lioness”, your wait for season 2 is almost over. They are still filming, but Paramount+ has announced that season 2 will premiere with two episodes on October 27, 2024. Given that Season 1 was Paramount+’s most-watched premiere on launch day, we weren’t surprised when it was picked up for a second season
“In Season 2, as the CIA’s fight against terror moves closer to home, Joe (Zoe Saldaña), Kaitlyn (Nicole Kidman), and Byron (Michael Kelly) enlist a new Lioness operative to infiltrate a previously unknown threat. With pressure mounting from all sides, Joe is forced to confront the profound personal sacrifices she has made as the leader of the Lioness program.”
So, this one is coming soon. Let us know what you think when you watch it.
The Diplomat
This next series also has an October 2024, on the 31st. We are talking about the Keri Russell-led show “The Diplomat”. Fans of this show remember what happened at the end of season one. We recommend you don’t watch the trailer for this one as it gives away a key plot point.
Alison Janey is a new addition this season, playing Vice President Grace Penn. We’re big fans of both Russel and Janney so it will be them working together.
In season 2, Kate continues to look into the attack in London and an attack against a British aircraft carrier. But now, she knows this was an attack from within the British government.
James Bond fans will like to hear that Rory Kinnear will continue in his role as Prime Minister Trowbridge.
SLOW HORSES
“Slow Horses” is a solid show, with 4 seasons just about done, and a 5th season confirmed. Starring Gary Oldman, how can you go wrong?
As an aside, The title Slow Horses is derived from Slough House, which is the name of the fictional MI5 branch where those no longer needed who serviced and many are now outcasts are sent to serve the remainder of their time with the service.
TEHRAN
The Apple+ series “Tehran” is based on a Mossad agent behind enemy lines. Seasons One and Two are in the bag. Season 3 is coming.
THE OLD MAN
Hulu’s series “The Old Man” is based on the book of the same name by Thomas Perry (2017). It stars Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow. Season One is in the bank. Season Two has just started its release the week of September 9th, 2024.
MR. AND MRS. SMITH
Amazon Prime’s series “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” has this description on the Prime website:
“In this version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan. The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith.
“Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: Espionage or marriage?”
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. Season One is done and a second season has been approved.
THE BUREAU
“The Bureau” is a French-language spy thriller, also known as Le Bureau des Legendes An American remake is supposedly being developed. It follows the internal bureau in France dealing with threats against France from any number of sources etc. It has been a generally well-received series.
TREASON
Netflix’s series “Treason” is popular as well, starring Charlie Cox, Oona Chaplin, and Olga Kurylenko. Cox plays Adam. Five episodes were released starting in December 2022. Rumors were that there would be another season. But now we’re hearing it may not happen.
Recently Released Spy Movies
THE UNION
The movie THE UNION on Netflix has been released. This spy movie, with Halle Barry, Mark Wahlberg, Dana Delany, Mike Colter, J. K. Simmons, and others released a couple of weeks ago on Netflix. We have watched it already and will have a DECODING session on it soon.
MY SPY: THE ETERNAL CITY
MY SPY: THE ETERNAL CITY was released mid-summer on PRIME and is the sequel to the 2020 movie, MY SPY. It stars Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman, along with Ken Jeong and Kristan Schaal. We have a full DECODING session on this movie out on our Cracking the Code of Spy Movies podcast show.
Existing Series that are finished but worth a watch
Here are some older, existing spy series you can still watch:
KLEO:
“Kleo” isa cold-war espionage series about an East German spy who is released and then goes on a revenge mission. This is a German-language series. Season two’s finale was released on July 25, 2024. We aren’t sure if there will be a Season 3.
THE AMERICANS:
This is from the official show description of “The Americans”:
“Co-starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, “The Americans” is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington, D.C., during the Reagan administration. The arranged marriage of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but as the pressures and demands of the job grow heavier, the personal toll becomes almost too exhausting to bear, especially when it comes to protecting their American-born children, Paige and Henry. They also face the risk of discovery by their friend and neighbor FBI agent Stan Beeman, who is tasked with uncovering Soviet illegals hiding in plain sight.”
There were 6 seasons of “The Americans” through 2018. Highly rated, but in a crowded TV field, so no Season 7. There are about 75 episodes.
On the lighter side
Ok, let’s move on to a couple of lighter and gossipy items.
We’ll start by going back to the movie THE UNION.
Why Didn’t They Kiss?
We mentioned earlier the movie THE UNION, starring Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg. They were supposed to have been an item at one time and sure seem to be getting there again. However, one question that fans have been asking is “Why didn’t they kiss?”
That’s a great question, especially with their history.
Well, the answer is pretty simple: Netflix wanted it that way. Remember that Netflix has been pushing out a lot of spy movies and series and hoping something will turn into a franchise a la James Bond or Mission: Impossible.
“We take the relationship to a certain place, and then I think you’ve got to leave a lot of space to go,” Farino told Variety at the film’s L.A. premiere on Monday night. “Netflix always said to us at the beginning, ‘You have to think of this as a possible three-movie idea.’ So if an audience comes out wanting a kiss, then we’ve probably done alright, in my opinion.”
So, assuming this gets picked up for two more movies, the kiss just had to wait.
Is Barbara Broccoli giving us a clue as to where James Bond will go next?
Barbara Broccoli attended the Qatari Gala Dinner in Venice, supposedly with one of her goals being to drum up financing for OTHELLO. This is a movie Daniel Craig is trying to get made.
Now, Deadline.com speculates that Broccoli could be using the next James Bond movie as a sweetener to get the investment. It’s one of those: if you finance this project, we’ll film some of the next Bond movie-type deals. This is speculation it but would help land Qatar on the movie-making map.
In Memorium
And finally, we come to our In Memorium section where we recognize spy movie talent who have passed on in the last month.
James Earl Jones
We’ll start with an industry titan, actor James Earl Jones who passed away on September 6th at the age of 93.
Jones was probably best known for being the voice of Darth Vader in the STAR WARS franchise. He also voiced Mufasa in THE LION KING and was the voice of CNN’s “This is CNN” drop-ins.
Spy movie fans will remember him from the Agent X TV show and as Admiral Greer in the Tom Clancy movies: CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER, PATRIOT GAMES, and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER.
James Earl Jones was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award for his portrayal of Jack Jefferson in THE GREAT WHITE HOPE. And he received an Honorary Academy Award in 2012.
He was not only a movie and TV actor, but an accomplished stage actor. In fact, he is one of the few actors to win the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). Mr. Jones received four Tony Award nominations for Best Actor in a Play. He won twice, for “The Great White Hope” and August Wilson’s “Fences”. He also received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2017.
Tom saw him on Broadway playing Hoke Colburn in “Driving Miss Daisy” with Vanessa Redgrave and Boyd Gaines. He said Jones was excellent in that role. He also
J. Richard Munro
Former chairman and CEO of Time Inc., J. Richard Munro has also passed away at the age of 93. Mr. Munro led Time Inc.’s merger with Warner Communications in 1989, a venture that took two years for him to design.
Sérgio Mendez
Composer, arranger, and pianist Sérgio Mendez has passed away at 83. He recorded more than 35 albums and is an Oscar nominee for the song he and John Legend collaborated on for the 2012 movie RIO. James Bond fans will remember him from his work in the music department of the movie NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN.
James Darren
Actor James Darren has died at the age of 88. Mr. Darren was probably best known as a teen idol for his GIGET movies. However, spy movie fans will recognize him as Spyros Pappadimos in the great movie THE GUNS OF NAVARRONE. We have an episode on this movie and had great things to say of Mr. Darren’s performance.
Tony McFarr
Stuntman Tony McFarr passed away at the age of 47 from heart complications. He was Chris Pratt’s stunt double in JURASSIC WORLD and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Vol 2. Spy TV fans will have seen his work on the TV series “Burn Notice”
Robert Weatherwax
Hollywood animal trainer Robert Weatherwax has passed away at the age of 83. Mr. Weatherwax was the son of the co-creator of “Lassie” and has trained some of Hollywood’s most famous movie dogs, including Einstein, the dog in BACK TO THE FUTURE.
Spy movie fans will have seen his work in the 1983 movie THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND.
Ok, That’s a wrap! You’re now caught up with all the spy movie news for the last month.
What did you think of our Spy Movie News 9-17-2024 edition?
Let us know your thoughts, ideas for future episodes, and what you thought of this episode. Just drop us a note at info@spymovienavigator.com. The more we hear from you, the better the show will surely be! We’ll give you a shout-out in a future episode!
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URLS
Here are the URLs we either mentioned in the episode or used to develop this episode. These links can provide more background information.
