Is 2011 the year the top tier spy film makes a comeback? Tomas Alfredson‘s hotly anticipated “Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy” — starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong, Svetlana Khodchenko, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke — will hit theaters this fall and if it lives up to even half of its promise, it should be a knockout. But you won’t have to necessarily go to the multiplex to get all of your secret agent kicks as PBS has landed a project on their slate that boasts an equally first class cast.
David Hare, best known in the film world for his Oscar-nominated screenplays for “The Reader” and “The Hours,” started filming the spy thriller “Page 8” back in January. Rachel Weisz toplines the film as a “beguiling woman of mystery,” with Bill Nighy as an MI5 operative threatened by Weisz’s character and Michael Gambon as the head of the security services. Judy Davis and Ralph Fiennes round out the solid cast. The title refers to the page number of a top secret document which presumably sets the plot in motion. Sounds worthy of the big screen right?
Well, PBS has announced the film will be part of its fall schedule for their “Masterpiece” series. No exact premiere date has been revealed but we’re a little bummed if only because given the talent involved, it deserves something a little more splashy than a public television debut. Hey producers, how about sending it at least to TIFF or Venice (or both) first? Either way, we’ll be watching regardless of how it reaches us and we’re adding it to our growing list of fall films we just can’t wait for. [Variety]
