Globally renowned Len Deighton novel, The Ipcress File has been adapted into a six part television series for ITV.
The Ipcress File will star Joe Cole (Gangs of London, Peaky Blinders) in the iconic role of Harry Palmer alongside Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, Murder on the Orient Express) and BAFTA award winning actor, Tom Hollander (The Night Manager, Birdbox).
The Ipcress File was Len Deighton’s first spy novel introducing the iconic British spy Harry Palmer and set against the backdrop of Cold War Europe.
To date the novel has sold 10 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1962, and was previously adapted into a film in 1965 starring Sir Michael Caine. ITV’s take has been adapted by BAFTA award-winning screenwriter. John Hodge and marks the first major production for Altitude Television.
The 6×60 series will be produced by Paul Ritchie (McMafia, Slumdog Millionaire) and directed by Emmy award-winner James Watkins.
“I’m thrilled to be bringing John Hodge’s brilliant adaptation of such an iconic novel to ITV. Harry Palmer is an incredible part and this would have been impossible without the right actor, so we are all delighted that Joe Cole will take on the role. The talent on and off screen means this will be a treat for audiences when it comes to ITV.” – Polly Hill, Head of Drama, ITV
It’s 1963. Cold war rages between West and East. British army sergeant Harry Palmer falls foul of the law and is sentenced to eight years in a grim military jail in England. But his impressive network and efficiency have not gone unnoticed, and a gentleman from British intelligence has a proposal.
Harry’s links to the man suspected of kidnapping a missing British nuclear scientist result in him being conscripted for a dangerous undercover mission that takes him from the Beatles’ London to the Berlin Wall, from the back alleys of Beirut to the white hot sand of a Nuclear Atoll in the Pacific.
“Altitude are delighted to be taking our first steps into Television as the company continues to grow and we are very excited to announce The Ipcress File as our debut production with our friends at ITV and ITV Studios. James Watkins and I are both huge fans of Len Deighton’s Harry Palmer books and have wanted to film The Ipcress File for a long time. John Hodge’s incredible writing talents have wonderfully adapted those stories into a thrilling six-part series.” – Will Clarke, Chairman and Co-CEO of Altitude Film Entertainment
The Ipcress File will be filmed on location in Liverpool and Croatia during 2021.
