The two actors reprise the roles of Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Mathieu Kassovitz in The Agency, the American version for Paramount.
Richard Gere love The Legends Office. Presenting the US remake to Entertainment Weekly magazine this week, the actor Pretty Woman says that he and his wife “were addicted” to the French Canal + series. “The only thing that annoys me about starring in this remake is that I won't be able to watch it, because I hate watching myself! I thought about it a few weeks ago: 'I probably won't watch this with my wife'. She will watch it alone, too bad…”
In The Agencythe 75-year-old star plays Bosko, the CIA post chief in London with a troubled past having served as a secret agent in the field himself. “It's probably the most important office in the world outside of Langley (CIA headquarters).” decrypts Richard Gere. “Bosko is someone who comes from the field, so he knows the field, he knows what his agents are going through.”
Among them, we will see Michael Fassbender in the shoes of the “Martian”, who is ordered to abandon his life as an infiltrator and return to London. Except that for six years he has been leading a double life abroad and when the love he left there reappears, the romance is reborn and clashes with his true identity. “He has to get used to an entire system again. He was, in a way, his own boss and fended for himself for years. He has difficulty listening to orders and obeying rules.” Fassbender is passionate about the world of espionage, and about “personalities who are drawn to that kind of existence, where you can never be yourself.” A concept that fascinates the English actor who sees a similarity with his profession: “We also lie to make a living…“
The Agency should therefore feature plots similar to the Legends Office (where Malotru juggled his love for Nadia El Mansour) in breathtaking settings. Richard Gerenot really used to the small screen, admits to having been amazed:
“It's hard to call it television. Now it's a different beast. I was amazed at how much money was invested in this series. When I arrived on the sets, in the suburbs of London… I think I haven't worked on a set like this for probably 25 or 30 years, maybe more. These kinds of film sets filled with huge sets, where there are very substantial budgets to tell stories…”
Richard Gere also promises that “each episode will be filled with surprises“and that the US version will be”his own thing” and not a simple remake of the French series. “I hope she will show the same excellent qualities. But The Legends Office was created over 10 years ago. The world was different 10 years ago, and global conflicts were different than today. The Agency is very contemporary. It's very current.”
Let us remember that The Legends Office lasted six seasons. “I don't know if we will do the same. I don't know how long I'll last“is laughing Richard Gere.
The Agency will be broadcast at the end of fall and can be seen on Paramount+ in France. George Clooney And Grant Heslov (Argo) are the executive producers. Joe Wright directed several episodes. Jeffrey Wright will also be in the casting.