How Oscar-Nominated James Bond Actor's New Spy Show Is Different From 007 Franchise Explained (2024)

James Bond actor Jeffrey Wright compares his new spy series to the 007 franchise. The Oscar-nominated actor made his debut as CIA agent Felix Leiter in 2006's Casino Royale alongside Daniel Craig's titular Agent 007 and has since starred in two other films in the franchise. While the actor is one of the many actors to portray the often-thankless part, many consider his version of Felix one of the best in the franchise. He also broke the record for playing the character three times.

In 2008, the Felix actor returned for a smaller role in Quantum of Solace and sat out the next two films in the franchise before reprising his role as Bond's CIA counterpart in Craig's final mission in No Time to Die.Outside of James Bond, Wright was involved in some of Hollywood's biggest franchises, including DC, The Hunger Games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aside from the aforementioned blockbuster franchises, the Golden Globe Award winner is also known for his acclaimed turn as Bernard in HBO's Westworld and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in American Fiction.

Jeffrey Wright Compares His Upcoming Spy Series, The Agency, To James Bond

The Star Teases The Agency's Attention To Details

Wright's upcoming spy series, titled The Agency, follows a covert CIA agent, Martian (Michael Fassbender), who's ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to the bureau's London Station. Produced by Paramount+ and Showtime, the series is set to premiere on Friday, November 29 with the first two episodes. Wright plays Martian's boss, Henry, in The Agency cast alongside Richard Gere, Hugh Bonneville, Katherine Waterston, Jodie Turner-Smith, John Magaro, and others.

In an interview with Screen Rant ahead of the show's premiere, Wright details how the new spy series will be different from the James Bond franchise. Wright reveals that the series takes "a very different angle on the spy genre" than the J ames Bond series, with both being "highly detailed", but that the 007 franchise is far more "fantastical" while The Agency pays more attention to "the political reality" of the world. Check out what he said below:

Yeah, this is a very different angle on the spy genre than what I've previously done with the James Bond series. I love the Bond series, I've loved the Bond series since I was a kid. It's highly detailed, but it's also fantastical. Our show is highly detailed, but with an attention more to kind of the political reality that this world is up against, and that reality is very similar to the geopolitical world that we're all experiencing today. So that, I think, adds to the kind of heightened tension within the series, but I also think that it lends a greater accessibility for the audience, because this is a familiar setting. At the same time, we're not like an overtly political show, we're just using that backdrop as a means of exploring the humanity of these characters, and the challenges that they face, and the tensions between loyalty to work and loyalty to self, and to love and things like this. So it makes for fertile ground for storytelling.

Our Take On How The Agency Will Differ From Bond

The SHow Wins With Intricate Worldbuilding

The Agency's trailer teases a heart-wrenching story set in the spy world. Martian is returning home after being undercover for six years, and as part of his psychological evaluation, he has to disclose any secrets that the bureau didn't previously know, which opens a door to his past, including that he had a relationship with a woman he met while on a mission, who the bureau suspects might be playing him.

The series' premise also promises "a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage" with characters "fighting their own battles as they grapple with existential threats to the nation and the world." Wright's comment offers fans some insight into how The Agency approaches the complicated and intricate storylines it promised in comparison to the genre-defining James Bond franchise. The series doesn't just look the part, it'll also win fans' hearts with highly detailed world-building and political drama.