James R | On 29, Aug 2019

Sacha Baron Cohen stars in Netflix’s new series The Spy, and a first trailer gives us a look at the comedian and actor in action.

The series tells the true story of Israel’s most prominent spy Eli Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, who in the beginning of the 60s operated undercover in Syria. His unprecedented infiltration into the top military and political echelons changed the face of the Middle East but came at a very high personal cost.

Cohen is one of the most legendary spies in the world. He lived in Damascus undercover in the beginning of the ’60s, spying for Israel. He managed to embed himself into Syrian high society and rise through the ranks of their politics. His actions, connections and immense sacrifice have had lasting consequences, shaping the Middle East of today.

The six-episode drama is created by Gideon Raff, who is writing and directing, with Légende Films and Alain Goldman producing. The series will premiere on Netflix on 6th September.

Here’s the video:

 

The Spy is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

First look: Sacha Baron Cohen stars in Netflix’s The Spy

15th August 2019

Netflix has unveiled the first image of Sacha Baron Cohen in The Spy, and judging by the brooding picture, the series is set to be more serious than fans of the comedian and actor might expect.

The show tells the true story of Israel’s most prominent spy Eli Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, who in the beginning of the 60s operated undercover in Syria. His unprecedented infiltration into the top military and political echelons changed the face of the Middle East but came at a very high personal cost.

Cohen is one of the most legendary spies in the world. He lived in Damascus undercover in the beginning of the ’60s, spying for Israel. He managed to embed himself into Syrian high society and rise through the ranks of their politics. His actions, connections and immense sacrifice have had lasting consequences, shaping the Middle East of today.

The six-episode series is created by Gideon Raff, who is writing and directing, with Légende Films and Alain Goldman producing. It will debut on OCS in France and Netflix everywhere else.

 

Noah Emmerich joins Sacha Baron Cohen in Netflix’s The Spy

21st April 2019

Noah Emmerich has joined Sacha Baron Cohen in Netflix’s new series The Spy.

Emmerich, whose CV boasts everything from The Walking Dead and Little Children to The Truman Show and The Americans, has been cast as Dan Peleg in the period thriller.

The Spy explores Eli Cohen’s (Sacha Baron Cohen) role as a spy for Israel in Syria in the early 1960s. Dan is a charming, rumpled and brilliant Mossad trainer. He is wise, wary and stubborn, and has a tendency to blur the boundaries between the personal and professional. He has conflicted feelings about Eli, and is tormented by a mistake he made in the past.

The six-episode series is written and directed by Gideon Raff, with Légende Films and Alain Goldman producing. It will debut on OCS in France and Netflix everywhere else.

 

Sacha Baron Cohen to star in Netflix’s The Spy

12th April 2018

Sacha Baron Cohen will star in Netflix’s The Spy.

The show tells the true story of Israel’s most prominent spy Eli Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, who in the beginning of the 60s operated undercover in Syria. His unprecedented infiltration into the top military and political echelons changed the face of the Middle East but came at a very high personal cost.

Eli Cohen is one of the most legendary spies in the world. Cohen lived in Damascus undercover in the beginning of the ’60s, spying for Israel. He managed to embed himself into Syrian high society and rise through the ranks of their politics. His actions, connections and immense sacrifice have had lasting consequences, shaping the Middle East of today.

The six-episode series is created by Gideon Raff, who is writing and director, with Légende Films and Alain Goldman producing. It will premiere on OCS in France and everywhere else on Netflix (outside of France), and. Cohen currently appears in Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity, which launched globally on Netflix last week.

 

Netflix teams up with Canal Plus and Prisoners of War creator for The Spy

4th March 2017

Netflix is teaming up with Canal Plus and the creator of Prisoners of War for a new spy series.

Called The Spy, the show tells the true story of Israel’s most prominent spy Eli Cohen, an Egyptian Jew, who in the beginning of the 60s operated undercover in Syria. His unprecedented infiltration into the top military and political echelons changed the face of the Middle East but came at a very high personal cost.

The series is produced by Alain Goldman’s Legende Films (La Vie en Rose, Babylon AD) and written and directed by Gideon Raff, who write the Israeli show that was remade into Homeland.

The co-production with Canal Plus will premiere on the channel in France and globally on Netflix outside of the country.

It’s a growing number of co-productions that the streaming giant has in the pipeline, as it doubles down on European content. Indeed, announcing the show this week at a press event in Berlin, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings revealed that Netflix has committed more than $1.75 billion to European productions (licensed, original and co-productions) in the last five years, with the company seeing it as “an ever growing investment”.

This content includes Dark, Netflix’s first German original series, and Italian crime thriller Suburra, plus Spain’s Las Chicas del Cable. In the UK, it is also producing TROY: Fall of a City and Black Earth Rising with BBC One and BBC Two respectively. These build upon an expanding line-up of European co-productions, including Marcella (ITV), Kiss Me First (Channel 4), Watership Down (BBC), La catedral del mar (Antena 3), Rita (TV2 Denmark) and El ministerio del tiempo (RTVE), as well as licensed series, including The Break (RTBF), Nobel (NRK), Cannabis (Arte), Bordertown (YLE), No Second Chance (TF1), Call My Agent! (France 2), Case (RUV), Beau Sejour (VRT) and The Same Sky (ZDF), among others.

“Great storytelling knows no geographic bounds. After four years of original programming and filming in 18 countries, we know compelling stories can come from anywhere and no matter their origin, can resonate with audiences around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer. “In fact, of the European shows available on Netflix last year, more than half of watchers came from outside of Europe, which is why we are confident our upcoming slate of international shows will be enjoyed by viewers in their home countries and beyond.”

The new series is announced just as Netflix’s first French original, Marseille, prepares to begin production on a second season.

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