‘Downton Abbey’ Alum Hugh Bonneville Joins Espionage Thriller ‘The Agency’ at Showtime (EXCLUSIVE)

Hugh Bonneville is set to guest star in the upcoming espionage political thriller series “The Agency” at Paramount+ with Showtime, Variety has learned exclusively.

As previously reported, the series is based on the French series “Le Bureau des Legendes.” Bonneville will appear opposite previously announced cast members Michael Fassbender, Jeffrey Wright, Jodie Turner-Smith, Katherine Waterston, John Magaro, Alex Reznik, Andrew Brooke, Harriet Sansom Harris, India Fowler, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Reza Brojerdi, and Richard Gere. The series is currently in production in London.

Per the official logline, the series follows “Martian (Fassbender), a covert CIA agent, ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.”

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Bonneville will appear as James Richardson, described as “a British agent who has a long-standing history with Martian.”

Bonneville is best known for his starring role in the hit drama series “Downton Abbey,” in which he played Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, throughout the show’s run. He reprised the role in both of the “Downton Abbey” films, with a third film due out in September 2025. His other TV credits include “Twenty Twelve,” “W1A,” “Douglas Is Cancelled,” and “The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin.” He has also starred in both “Paddington” films and will also star in the third, as well as “Notting Hill,” “Iris,” and “The Monuments Men.”

He is repped by Gordon & French and Milk Publicity.

Jez and John-Henry Butterworth are writers and executive producers. Joe Wright is an executive producer and director for the first two episodes. Additional executive producers include: Keith Cox and Nina L. Diaz for Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin and Bob Yari of 101 Studios; George Clooney and Grant Heslov via Smokehouse Pictures; Alex Berger for The Originals Productions; and Ashley Stern and Pascal Breton for Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America. Fassbender will executive produce in addition to starring.

The series will debut on demand and streaming on Paramount+ ahead of its linear debut. It will stream internationally on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Latin America, Brazil and Japan. The series is co-distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution and Federation Studios.