Tradecraft: Latest 24 Reboot Attempt to Focus on Young Jack Bauer

Ever since 24 went off the air following its eighth season in 2010, Fox execs have been looking for ways to bring it back. For years they tried to develop a feature film based on the real-time TV series (which I'd still like to see happen!), then eventually brought it back in 2014 as the summer limited series event, 24: Live Another Day. That 12-episode format proved to be a vast improvement on the previous 24-episode format, and after star Kiefer Sutherland announced that he was done playing Jack Bauer, they tried it again with the Bauer-less reboot/revival/sequel series 24: Legacy. That incarnation didn't quite live up to their ratings expectations, but they immediately started plotting another strategy. There were rumors of abandoning the counter-terrorism theme altogether, and rebooting the show as a legal drama that kept only the real-time format. (Indeed, when the series launched in 2001 and the producers weren't certain where it would go, one idea was to make it a real-time anthology show. To that end, Imagine Entertainment optioned The Da Vinci Code as possible source material for a second season of 24. Obviously, that book blew up and instead Imagine turned it into a big screen feature.) Apparently the legal thriller idea (written by longtime 24 producer Howard Gordon and Jeremy Doner, and said to focus on a female lawyer trying to save a client from death row as the clock ticks down) remains a possibility, but Deadline reports that Fox is simultaneously developing another new incarnation of 24 as well: a Jack Bauer prequel series.

Written by Gordon (Homeland, Legends) and original 24 creators Bob Cochran (La Femme Nikita) and Joel Surnow (The Equalizer), "it is said to be in the vein of the original and will trace the origin story of CTU agent Jack Bauer," the trade reports. The network presumably sees this as a way to revisit the iconic, fan-favorite character without depending on Sutherland's involvement. I'm a little torn on this idea myself. While the possibility of seeing Jack Bauer as a young agent in the waning days of the Cold War is certainly appealing (assuming that's the direction they go, rather than rebooting entirely with a younger Bauer active today. a la NBC's Taken prequel series), I just can't imagine any actor beside Sutherland taking on that role. It will all depend on casting. If they can find the right actor, I suppose it just might work.... And who am I kidding? I'll watch a real-time spy series set in the late Eighties no matter who it stars!

Tradecraft: Another Year, Another 24 Revival Rumor

It's a tradition that every year at the Fox upfronts (the event where networks unveil new series to advertisers), some executive teases the possibility of a 24 revival. Some years, that happens, leading to the excellent Kiefer Sutherland half-length reunion series, 24: Live Another Day, and the single season of "CTU: The Next Generation," 24: Legacy. But most years, nothing comes of such talk at all. (Like last year's rumors that the real-time format would be kept for another new incarnation, but the counterterrorism angle would be ditched altogether in favor of a female-driven legal drama.) This year was no exception to that rule. Deadline reports that, "during Fox’s upfront press call, chairman Dana Walden revealed that 24 executive producer Howard Gordon (Homeland, Legends) is working with 24 creators Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran on a possible new iteration of the real-time drama. The network and 24 producers 20th Century Fox, Imagine TV and Gordon had been discussing new ideas for a 24 series since the end of 24: Legacy last season, including a female-led legal thriller earlier this season. Walden would not elaborate what the new [premise] is, but noted that 'we are very excited about where the show would go.'" Make of that what you will. Most likely it means nothing, but it does remind you that it's very hard for a network to let a good idea go entirely. Sutherland has sworn that he'll never again play Jack Bauer... but spy fans know when to say "never again." (Sutherland made that definitive statement when he had another show, but Designated Survivor was just cancelled, so perhaps that will change things.) What I would love to see is for Bauer to return for another 12-episode season (which works so much better than the 24-episode format, which always sags in the middle) and team up with Corey Hawkins' next-gen CTU op from Legacy along with all the fan-favorite familiar faces (most essentially Chloe and Tony, the only original series cast member to show up on Legacy)... but each leaving their annoying family members behind. I just hope that Gordon, Fox, et. al. realize that 24's real contribution to the genre is not its real-time gimmick (which wore thin by Season 2, honestly), but the character of Jack Bauer, who belongs in the pantheon of the great spy heroes. Find a way to get Jack Bauer back in action, in whatever format Sutherland will agree to do!

Tradecraft: TNT Cancels its Spy Shows Legends and Agent X

In one fell swoop, TNT has disavowed all of its spy shows. After previously cancelling Transporter: The Series, the cable network today (per Deadline) also axed its fun freshman series Agent X, and sophomore Legends. In both cases, this is really too bad. Agent X, starring Sharon Stone and Jeff Hephner, was lots of fun and delivered weekly escapist action in the Alias-vein. Legends, from Homeland and 24 executive producer Howard Gordon, started strong last season but had become absolutely brilliant in its second year after a thorough re-tooling. The Sean Bean spy series based on Robert Littell's novel had become an excellent and worthy companion for Homeland. I will miss this one greatly, and dearly hope that Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime scoops it up for a third season. This series has already shown an amazing ability to survive, surfacing on TNT a year after being passed on by NBC, so anything seems possible....

Trailer: Retooled Legends Kicks Off Season 2 Tonight on TNT

The completely retooled second season of Legends, starring Sean Bean, premieres tonight on TNT at 10/9c. And judging by this trailer, it looks even better than the first season, which was a slow build but ultimately paid off handsomely. I hear that the second season is so different that it should be possible to jump on now without having season Season 1. The action in Season 2 shifts from America to Europe, and with the exception of Morris Chestnut returning as a guest star, the supporting cast is almost entirely different. (I will definitely miss Tina Majorino. I hope they find a way to at least bring her back for an episode or two.) A collaboration between two heavy-hitters in the spy genre, Legends is based on the novel by Robert Littell (The Company) and executive produced by Howard Gordon (24, Homeland). Bean (GoldenEye, Patriot Games) stars as Martin Odum, a deep cover agent who's lived so many different legends he can no longer be sure who he actually is. Season 2 finds Odum on the run for an assassination he didn't commit and struggling to put together the pieces and discover his past while pursued by the world's intelligence agencies. Check out the trailer below:


Order Legends: The Complete Season 1 from Amazon

TNT Goes Spy in November With Agent X, Legends Premieres

TNT has finally set premiere dates for its fall spy shows. According to Dark Horizons, the Sharon Stone/Jeff Hephner series Agent X (the pilot for which the network ordered way back in January of last year) will premiere on Sunday, November 8. And the eagerly anticipated, retooled second season of the Sean Bean series Legends (formerly a summer show) will premiere the week before, on Monday, November 2. I have a good feeling about Agent X, which centers on an elite secret agent (Hephner) who reports directly to the Vice President (Stone). Maybe the tux in the picture is misleading, but I feel like this could be the sort of small screen James Bond type of spy show that's more or less missing from the otherwise spy-filled television landscape. And I'm certainly looking forward to the return of Legends, the Howard Gordon-produced adaptation of the Robert Littell novel, which concluded its engrossing first season on a game-changing cliffhanger.

Tradecraft: Legends Sets Second Season Cast, Shifts to Europe and Autumn

For TNT's highly compelling but under-seen spy series Legends, based on the Robert Littell novel and starring Sean Bean (GoldenEye), the road to Season Two has been nearly as rocky as the impossibly rocky road to Season One. (And that prolonged development period saw the drama series take three years, two networks and two stars to reach the screen!) The renewal came harrowingly late in the game (last December, months after the first season's cliffhanger finale aired), and we learned in March that the second season would undergo some fairly major changes from the first one, in showrunner, format, location and cast. Ken Biller (Legend of the Seeker) took over the helm from David Wilcox (though Homeland and 24 mastermind Howard Gordon remains Executive Producer), and first season co-star Morris Chestnut went from regular to recurring.

Today, Deadline reports that the rest of the second season cast has been rounded out with a more international flavor, and that the action will shift to Europe. (That part's not too surprising, given the events of the first season finale.) According to the trade, British spy vet Ralph Brown (The Assets, Agent Carter, TURN) will play Terrence Graves, "a sophisticated, wry MI6 Intelligence Officer ... both personally and professionally compromised" beneath his "polished exterior." Czech actress Klára Issová (Transporter: The Series) will play Ilyana Crawford, a refugee from war-torn Chechnya and a smart, stubborn survivor who will do whatever it takes to remain one. Bean returns as Martin Odum, "an undercover operative who has learned he isn’t the man he believed himself to be. On the run for a murder he didn’t commit, Martin searches for his true identity, following a trail that takes him to London and the European continent, where he discovers a dark and violent past that holds the key to his future survival." Season Two is currently shooting in Prague and London. TNT recently pushed back the second season of Legends from Summer (where it debuted last year) to fall, where it will be paired with the network's newest action spy show Agent X, starring Sharon Stone.

24 to Continue With Younger Lead?

Last year's limited series revival, 24: Live Another Day, was a creative and commercial success. Since then 24 fans have been hoping for another 12-hour limited series event. Sadly we're not getting one this summer. But the beauty of the limited series format as opposed to an ongoing TV series is that there doesn't have to be a season every year. Fox can produce them as the cast and crew are available. The rarer they are, in fact, the more of an "event" they become. A schedule like that also helps keep the series from getting stale. Especially if each season is set in a different city around the world, as Live Another Day took place in London. In my opinion, the 12-hour length served the real-time series so much better than a full 24-episode season, or 24-hour day. Many a season of the original series got bogged down halfway through only to rebound in the end. Live Another Day simply cut out that sagging middle, and gave us twelve propulsive, action-packed hours. So personally I've been hoping that we see Jack Bauer return again in a couple of years for a 12-episode (or even fewer) limited series set in Moscow or someplace. But, sadly, it doesn't look like Jack will necessarily be part of the equation in the next 24 event series. When Keifer Sutherland first indicated that he wasn't ready to commit again to any sort of regular TV schedule, we heard rumblings starting in January that Fox might be looking for ways to continue the show without him. Now it appears that they've found one.

Series producer Howard Gordon (Homeland) has confirmed to TV Line (via Dark Horizons) that the current plan involves Jack Bauer passing the torch to "a new, twenty-something male terrorist hunter." According to the site, "While there are no current plans for Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack to appear, it’s entirely possible his iconic character could pop in and out on a guest-star basis. The project would find the new male antihero working alongside an older, more seasoned female agent (not Yvonne Strahovski’s Kate Morgan [from Live Another Day], although she also may also appear)." The spinoff would begin as a limited series in the vein of Live Another Day, but should it prove successful might turn into an ongoing drama.

Hm. I have mixed reactions to this news. While I do think the 24 format could easily focus on new agents and new threats, a lot will depend on how those agents are written and the actors who play them. Because for me, the main appeal of 24 as a series is not its patented real-time format. (By its final seasons on the regular Fox schedule, that format felt like it had become more of a hindrance to the writers than an asset.) It's the character of Jack Bauer, one of the best TV spies of all time. Specifically, it's Keifer Sutherland in that role. Personally, I would be far more likely to follow Jack Bauer into a different format (like a feature film, as was in the works for several years before being scrapped in favor of the miniseries) than watch a new agent chained to the same real-time format. But as long as they stick with shorter seasons and don't try to fill in every hour of a whole day, I think the format can survive. I just think Sutherland's shoes are awfully big ones for someone to have to fill.

If a new CTU agent does take over, however, I hope we see some of Jack's support staff return—particularly Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub, who appeared in Live Another Day) and Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard, who turned up in a short that appeared on the Live Another Day DVD). I'd also like to see Chuck star Strahovski's CIA agent Kate Morgan return, and I'm kind of disappointed that they aren't considering her as a potential lead for this 24 spinoff series. But I like the series, and I really liked Live Another Day, so I'm sure I'll end up tuning in for whatever they come up with. And a limited series with another star doesn't man Jack won't still return down the line, when Sutherland's good and ready. It would be kind of cool if we end up with a new agent leading an ongoing 24 TV series with occasional appearances from Jack Bauer, and a simultaneous, James Bond-like series of theatrical features (ideally not beholden to the real-time gimmick) starring Sutherland as Bauer!

Tradecraft: Legends Undergoes Changes in Season 2

Deadline reports that TNT's Legends will undergo some significant changes in its second season. Ken Biller (Legend of the Seeker) will take over from David Wilcox as the new showrunner on the Sean Bean spy series executive produced by Howard Gordon (24, Homeland). According to the trade, "Biller is taking the reins of Legends as part of a creative revamp." Biller himself says "reimagining" and Fox 21 TV Studios president Bert Salke says "reshape," so it's pretty clear that something transformative is planned. When the series was renewed (rather late in the game, in December), it was reported that there could be some supporting cast changes. Since then it's been announced that Morris Chestnut, who was a regular on the first season, would only appear in several episodes of Season 2 as a guest star, and another Season 1 regular, Amber Valetta, has booked a new pilot. I really liked Season 1 (though it did take a few episodes to come into its own), so I hope they don't change things up too much (please find a way to keep Tina Majorino!), but the first season ended with a cliffhanger that gives them the ability to shake things up pretty thoroughly in an organic fashion and reshuffle the supporting cast dramatically. I have faith in Biller, because I loved Legend of the Seeker, and I think it would be pretty cool if he brought in some of the actors from that series... particularly Bridget Regan (Agent Carter).

Legends went through a very rough road to production before its first season, too, switching networks and stars in the process. It will be interesting to see what new direction this series, based on the novel by Robert Littell, takes. When Legends returns in August, it won't be TNT's only spy series. The cable network also has a 10-episode season of Agent X in the pipeline.

Sutherland on 24's Future

24 star Kiefer Sutherland talked to The Telegraph (via Dark Horizons) about the future of his iconic character Jack Bauer. And, to hear Sutherland tell it, that future doesn't look too bright. Then again, he's got a history of being a bit of a downer on the subject. When the cancelled show returned to Fox as a summer "event series," 24: Live Another Day, there were rumors that it could live on as a series of miniseries. (And it worked way better as 12 episodes, in my opinion, so I hope it does.) Or even that the long-gestating 24 movie, which had gone through a series of fits and starts since the end of the eighth season, was still in the cards. Sutherland seems to shoot down those ideas, telling The Telegraph, "Me, I don't see going back to it. We had set out to do 12 episodes [of Live Another Day] to end the show and deal with some of the past history of the show. It was also an irresistible opportunity to go shoot in England. So for all of those reasons it made sense to do that last season." But even the actor himself realizes that when it comes to reprising iconic spy roles, it's best to listen to Micheline Connery and never say never, admitting, "I think I said the same thing at the end of Season 8. So I would hate to be held to that." Hopefully he can be convinced to return again, either for another limited series or a movie. Jack Bauer is such a great character that it makes a lot of sense to revisit the format every couple of years during the summer. Plus, fan-favorite supporting character Tony Alemeida (Carlos Bernard) was frustratingly absent from Live Another Day, but made a surprise appearance in a DVD and Blu-ray bonus feature that seemed to portend his return should the series come back in any form, and many fans would love to see that happen. So let's hope Sutherland changes his mind....

Tradecraft: TNT Renews Legends

Well, here's some good TV news to offset Monday's disappointing announcement about the cancellation of Matador. Deadline reports that TNT has picked up Homeland and 24 producer Howard Gordon's latest spy drama Legends for a 10-episode second-season. Based on the Robert Littell novel, Legends stars Sean Bean (GoldenEye) as FBI Special Agent Martin Odum, a deep cover operative who has lived so many legends he can no longer be sure of his own identity. The first season ended with a paradigm-shifting cliffhanger involving MI6, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, an assassination and of course a vast conspiracy, so fans will be relieved to learn of the pickup. I was seriously fearful it wouldn't happen when TNT cancelled Dallas a few months ago, and Sean Bean committed to another TV show. (UK period drama The Frankenstein Chronicles is also a short season show, so the industrious actor can do both.) So this is most welcome news! The first season started off a bit rough, but quickly evolved into the terrific sort of spy TV we expect from Gordon. According to the trade, "there could be some supporting cast changes going into Season 2." That's not surprising considering how radically the events of the first season finale shook up the show's infrastructure.

Awesome Teaser for 24: Live Another Day as Miniseries Assembles Impressive Cast

Fox has released a really awesome new movie-style trailer for the upcoming 12-episode 24 "event series," Live Another Day, showcasing its new London setting:

Deadline previously reported that Chuck's Yvonne Strahovski will spy again alongside Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer, and in a
separate story that the great Stephen Fry will play the British Prime Minister and Tate Donovan will play the White House Chief of Staff. Deadline later reported that Bond alum Colin Salmon (Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day) had joined the project as an American general.

Here's a previous trailer:

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Sean Bean in Legends Trailer

Somehow I missed this, but a trailer came out last year for TNT's 2014 Sean Bean spy series Legends, from Homeland and 24 executive producer Howard Gordon. We've been following this for quite a while (since it was first developed for NBC in 2010, and then when it got a new lease on life at TNT in 2012, when Brenden Fraser was first set to star, then dropped out opening the way for the infinitely preferable ex-Bond baddie Bean), and it will finally reach our TV screens this summer. This trailer looks quite promising (as expected), though I'm disappointed to read in the network's official description of the show that Bean's deep-cover agent Martin Odum has been changed from a former CIA agent in Robert Littell's novel to an FBI agent on the show. I guess they wanted to keep costs down by sticking to domestic flashback locations? Oh well; it still looks cool!

Thanks to Ava for calling my attention to this!

More Intel on the Format of the Reconstituted 24

Fox Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly offered  further information on the exact format of the all-new, back from the dead, reconstituted incarnation of 24 (entitled 24: Live Another Day) returning next year to Fox. We already knew the network's signature real-time action series would be back as a 12-episode miniseries rather than a 24-episode season, but how would that change the one hour of TV equals one hour of real time daylong scenario? Reilly told Crave Online (via Dark Horizons) that the story would still unfold over the course of the day, but certain hours would be skipped. Producer Howard Gordon clarified that scenario for the website previously, saying, "We’ll keep it a 24 hour story but we’ll tell 7-8, 8:15-9:15, 10-11 and then skip 3 hours if we need to. I think it’s going to actually make us not have to do the pretzel logic of some of the stuff." That sounds like an excellent plan to me. Not only did it always take me out of the action a bit whenever Jack Bauer managed to get from one side of L.A. to the other in less than the duration of a single episode in the middle of the day (an impossible feat given this city's traffic), but I felt like the seasons always sagged in the middle as the writers struggled to fill out the day. There would generally be a slam-bang beginning and a terrific conclusion, but in the middle things tended to drag a bit and we were stuck with situations like Kim being menaced by a cougar. Reilly, apparently, felt the same way, explaining that the miniseries format will provide the patented 24 experience we want without stretching the story too thin.

"Howard has always said, he always had 12 great ones, it was the next 12 that used to kill them.” Now that shouldn't be an issue. Not only that, but with the ability to skip hours of travel time, the new format opens up the series to more international locations. "This is going to be set in an international setting," Reilly told Crave. "They’ve got great ideas. I love doing it this way. I have been really heartened by the amount of equity left in the show. I am stopped by fans all the time, thanking me for bringing it back." Great! I can't wait to see Jack Bauer tearing it up overseas! That's what I was hoping for from the 24 movie that never got off the ground. It would be great to see a new 24 "event series" every summer for years to come, with Jack in a different international city each season.

In addition to Kiefer Sutherland, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Mary Lynn Rajskub will also be back, reprising her fan-favorite role as Chloe, Jack's indispensable CTU support tech, without whom he couldn't have foiled half the terrorist plots he managed to foil, or opened up half the sockets he managed to open. ("Open up a socket, Chloe!" was one of Jack's favorite things to whisper-yell into his cell phone.) So far, those two are the only familiar faces to be cast in 24: Live Another Day, and Reilly says the rest of the cast will probably be filled out with new characters. I don't know; I think they need to bring back Tony Almeida, too...

Tradecraft: 24 to Return to TV?

Ever since 24 went off the air in 2010 (was it really that long ago???), Kiefer Sutherland & Co. have been trying to revisit his iconic character, CTU agent Jack Bauer, in a feature film. I was really looking forward to seeing that. I felt that the real-time format of the TV show had grown tired (though it really bounced back in its final season), but the character was way too good to let go. Therefore, spinning him off into a film series seemed ideal. Well, that never happened, sadly. But there's good news for Bauer boosters yet! In a surprising move, Deadline reports that 24 may see new life on television... as a miniseries! (Or, as they call them today, as a "limited series event.") The trade blog reports that Fox, having cancelled Sutherland's most recent series, Touch, is keen on reviving 24 as a limited series. I like that plan, too. Jack Bauer's adventures don't have to take a whole day to conclude. Surely some terrorist threats are solvable in 6 or 8 hours? But if it's only 8 episodes, will the title have to change? (Unlikely.) Granted, there's no word yet on whether or not the new version would even retain the original show's real-time gimmick at all. I'd be totally cool with seeing Bauer taking on terrorists in a more traditional format. Like I say, it's the character that appeals to me, not necessarily the gimmick. Longtime 24 showrunner Howard Gordon has gone on to have all sorts of TV success since the show ended, including producing the amazing, amazing spy drama Homeland and executive producing the upcoming TNT spy series Legends. According to Deadline, it was Gordon who hatched the latest comeback plan and pitched it to Fox. All of this is not only surprising, but pretty darn awesome. I love that the TV model has changed so much that an American series can return a few years after it goes off the air in a slightly different format. I'd love to see 24 miniseries of varying lengths come on every couple of years. They really would be events, like the network wants, and we wouldn't get burnt out on them. (I got burnt out on the regular-length seasons around 4 or 5, and found that there were often only 12 good hours in a Bauer day anyway.) And who knows? Maybe the renewed exposure will put the film version back on track, too. But Jack Bauer is too great a character to fade away.

Tradecraft: Legends Cast Shapes Up

Deadline reports that several actors have joined headliner Sean Bean in TNT's new spy pilot Legends. Legends, a long time in development, is based on the novel by Robert Littell and produced by TV spymaster Howard Gordon (Homeland, 24), along with Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) and Mark Bomback (Agent Zigzag). Bean stars as deep-cover secret agent Martin Odum, who possesses a unique ability (or curse) to lose himself completely in his "legends" (spy-talk for cover identities). Amber Valletta (sorely underused in Transporter 2) will play Odum's ex-wife and mother of his pre-teen child, Aiden (Lux Haney Jardine). Rob Mayes (John Dies at the End) will play Troy, "a former Special Ops guy with a 'mission-first mentality' who now works as a federal agent with the DCO." (I'm not sure what it stands for, but presumably the DCO is this show's CTU.) And Tina Majorino (Veronica Mars) will play Maggie, "the newest member of the DCO field support team." (Does that mean Odum will be perpetually ordering her to "open up a socket!" as 24's Jack Bauer used to love to yell over cell phones at Chloe?) Additionally, the trade blog also reports that Steve Harris (who worked with Gordon on Awake) his signed on to play Yates, "the director of the DCO Task Force who reinstates Martin to an undercover job." This is shaping up to be a really great cast, which just serves to make me even more excited about this show!

Tradecraft: Sean Bean to Star in TNT Spy Series Legends

Oh, this casting is so much better than Brenden Fraser! Deadline reports that Sean Bean (GoldenEye, Patriot Games, Age of Heroes) has been cast as the lead in Legends, the TNT spy series from Homeland producer Howard Gordon based on the book by Robert Littell. That's right: we're getting a Sean Bean spy show! How awesome is that? Legends has followed a very long road to production. It was originally developed in 2010 at NBC, where it died, before being surprisingly resurrected at TNT. (Gordon's success with Homeland probably helped.) There's a lot of talent involved, including producers Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor), and Mark Bomback (Agent Zigzag). Brenden Fraser was set to star in October, but bowed out a month later. To me, Sean Bean seems like a much better fit for the material! Bean was last seen spying on ABC's sadly short-lived Missing, rocking an American accent. It's not clear yet what accent he'll use in Legends, though since his character loses himself in various covers, we're likely to hear multiple accents. I was looking forward to this show already, but it just keeps getting better and better!

Tradecraft: Brenden Fraser Bows Out of TNT's Legends

That was quick. Just a few weeks after he was announced as the star, Brenden Fraser has left the TNT spy series Legends. Deadline reports that the actor and showrunner Howard Gordon (Homeland, 24) "did not see eye to eye on the character and couldn’t bridge their creative differences." That doesn't mean the series is dead, though. According to the trade blog, "the role will now be recast." Sounds good to me. Whatever the creative differences were, I'm apt to trust Gordon based on his espionage track record—especially the phenomenal Homeland. This is the latest wrinkle in the show's particularly long development, which included a jump from NBC to TNT. Legends is based on the novel by Robert Littell (The Company), and produced by Gordon, Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) and Mark Bomback. David Semel is directing. I'm eager to see who they replace Fraser with!

Tradecraft: Homeland Renewed For a Third Season

Deadline reports that Showtime has renewed Homeland for a third season. After the show swept the Emmies and posted its best ratings yet this season, that hardly comes as a surprise, but is still welcome news for fans of intelligent spy TV drama. Commensurate with te first two seasons, the order is for twelve episodes. Man oh man do I wish I hadn't had to drop my pay cable stations this summer! It's very hard to wait for DVD to watch this season...

Tradecraft: Brenden Fraser is Legendary

Deadline reports that Brenden Fraser (The Quiet American) has been cast as the lead in Howard Gordon's long-in-development TNT spy pilot Legends, based on the book by Robert Littell. According to the trade blog, Legends "follows Martin Odum (Fraser), a deep-cover operative who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job." Hm. I don't instantly see Fraser as a Peter Sellers- or Lon Chaney-like man of 1000 faces who can transform himself that effortlessly either physically or mentally, but on the other hand, I do think that Fraser is at his best when he's doing drama as opposed to fluffy kids' comedy. He's terrific, for instance, playing an idealistic CIA agent opposite Michael Caine in Phillip Noyce's Graham Greene adaptation The Quiet American, and in the James Whale biopic Gods and Monsters. Not so terrific in movies with cartoon animals. I haven't read the book (though I finally bought it recently with that intent!), but I don't think there are any talking critters in Legends, so hopefully this will prove to be a good fit after all! With a track record including Homeland and 24, I'm on board for any Howard Gordon spy show. (And there's another one in development this season at Fox.) He's producing Legends alongside Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor) and Mark Bomback. As previously reported, David Semel will direct the pilot. TNT has a good track record with Littell material, having scored a hit with a miniseries based on the author's Agency epic The Company.

Tradecraft: TNT Picks Up Legends to Pilot

Legends, the TV show based on Robert Littell's acclaimed novel, has taken a long and winding road to production, but it's finally getting there! The show was first announced in 2010 when it was on NBC's development slate, but the network passed and it looked dead. Producer Howard Gordon (whose spy experience includes 24 and Homeland, the latter of which was my favorite new spy show of 2011) said as much in an interview last year. But then, in May, it came back to life thanks to cable network TNT, who continued to develop the pilot script with Gordon, Mark Bomback (Agent Zigzag) and Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor, American Assassin). Now Deadline reports that they've ordered the pilot to production, inching the show that much closer to your television screens. According to the trade blog, David Semel, who's previously helmed such spy shows as Person of Interest and My Own Worst Enemy, will direct the pilot. According to TNT's previously released synopsis, "the story follows a deep-cover operative named Martin Odum, who has an uncanny ability to transform himself into a different person for each job. But his own identity comes into question when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t who he thinks he is." TNT's 2007 miniseries The Company was also based on a Littell spy novel. In addition to his ongoing commitment to Homeland, Howard Gordon also has a recently announced spy pilot in development for Fox.