George Clooney Set To Direct Espionage Thriller Series THE DEPARTMENT For Showtime
Showtime is moving forward with a new series project titled The Department, which is an adaptation of the French espionage political thriller, The Bureau. This project comes from the creative talents of George Clooney and Grant Heslov.
Clooney will be at the helm as the director, and he and Heslov will executive produce through Smokehouse Pictures, along with MTV Entertainment Studios, and 101 Studios. Production is set to begin later this year!
Based on the acclaimed series, Le Bureau, the story centers on the “daily life and missions of agents within France’s principal external security service. It focuses on the ‘Bureau of Legends,’ responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions in areas with French interests. Living under false identities for years, these agents’ missions are to identify and recruit good intelligence sources.”
Chris McCarthy, President/CEO, of Showtime and Paramount Media explained that the series “will follow in the great tradition of Homeland, one of the most successful and brand-defining shows at Showtime. Just as Homeland elevated global espionage to The Department will take viewers even deeper into a world of intrigue and subterfuge with complicated characters who struggle with their own demons as they fight existential threats to the nation and the world.”
Alex Berger, President and Executive Producer at The Originals Productions added: “We are delighted to extend The Bureau’s DNA through The Department for Showtime with our friends at MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios. The Originals Productions (TOP), Federation and Paramount are taking our franchise to the next level, making a new high-stake international espionage show set today in a very complex geopolitical environment.”
Added Guillaume Pommier, Co-Head of Distribution at Federation: “We couldn’t dream of a better partner home than Showtime to adapt The Bureau. They share with us the passion, the vision and the ambition for this amazing show, combined with their strong premium global network which will bring The Department to the world.”
David Glasser, CEO of 101 Studios, Paramount+/Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with George & Grant on this amazing project. Paramount+/Showtime and MTV Entertainment Studios has been an incredible home to so many of our projects, and we are excited to once again work alongside Chris McCarthy, Keith Cox, Nina Diaz and their incredible teams.”
This seems like the kind of project that Clooney would jump on board and I’m sure that he’ll end up developing a great and thrilling series.