Mark Strong is set for another spy role, having been cast as the lead in an upcoming miniseries for FOX titled Deep State, where he’ll portray an ex-spy drawn into an international conspiracy with ties to his past. It will be the first regional scripted commission for FOX Networks Group Europe and Africa.
Strong will play Max Easton, “an ex-spy caught between the past and the present. When he is brought back into the game to avenge the death of his son, he finds himself at the heart of a covert intelligence war and a conspiracy to profit from the spread of chaos throughout the Middle East.” Deep State will last 8 episodes, taking place in Britain, the United States, France, Lebanon and Iran.
The series will be written by Matthew Parkhill, Simon Maxwell and Steve Thompson. The first four episodes will be directed by Robert Connolly while Parkhill will direct the back-half of the series.
On joining the series, Strong said: “Every now and again a script comes along that you just can’t put down and Deep State is exactly that – a great example of the best kind of writing. I’m incredibly proud to be working with FNG on their first regional scripted commission. They have put together an excellent team and I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with Robert Connolly, Matthew Parkhill, Hilary Bevan Jones. With scripts from Matthew, Simon Maxwell and Steve Thompson, producers Tom Nash and Khadija Alami and with David Higgs as DoP and Pat Campbell designing, it makes this for me an unmissable opportunity to return to television.”
Deep State begins production in May.