AMC’s continuing efforts to bring the work of John le Carré to television audiences continues with this fall’s six-part miniseries adapting The Little Drummer Girl. As it turns out, the series will become something of a binge-watch event, as the cable network plans to deliver the spy thriller over the course of three consecutive evenings. The series will premiere November 19 with a two-hour episode, followed by two more nights of two, hour-long episodes, ending on November 21.

The plan to turn The Little Drummer Girl into an event could work in its favor. After all, the miniseries stars recent Emmy and Golden Globe winner Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies), Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon, and up-and-coming star Florence Pugh (King Lear). But perhaps what makes the adaptation so appealing and unusual is that all six episodes are directed by acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, who has delivered such films as Oldboy, Stoker, and The Handmaiden. As such, the idea that a filmmaker of his caliber is adapting the work of le Carré should be enough to give the miniseries an edge when it finally premieres.

Moreover, the series will be a period drama, eschewing the desire to update the ‘70s-set story to the present day. The choice affords the director and actors a chance to stylishly recreate a fascinating era, while also potentially offering a more authentic le Carré experience. Check out the first-look images and the synopsis for the miniseries below:


“Blurring the fine lines between love and hate; truth and fiction; and right and wrong; “The Little Drummer Girl” weaves a suspenseful and explosive story of espionage and high-stakes international intrigue. Set in the late 1970s, the pulsating thriller follows Charlie (Pugh), a fiery actress and idealist whose resolve is tested after she meets the mysterious Becker (Skarsgård), while on holiday in Greece. It quickly becomes apparent that his intentions are not what they seem, and her encounter with him entangles her in a complex plot devised by the spy mastermind Kurtz (Shannon). Charlie takes on the role of a lifetime as a double agent while remaining uncertain of her own loyalties.”

The Little Drummer Girl is one of three le Carré adaptations AMC and the BBC have in the works. In addition to a potential sequel to The Night Manager, an adaptation of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, starring Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones), is also on the way from writer Simon Beaufoy (Trust, The Hunger Games). Should this slate of miniseries prove successful and continue to attract top-notch talent, AMC could be in the le Carré business for some time to come.

The Little Drummer Girl premieres Monday, November 19 @9pm on AMC.