Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligence agencies. It was given new impetus by the development of fascism and communism in the lead-up to World War II, continued to develop during the Cold War, and received a fresh impetus from the emergence of rogue states, international criminal organizations, global terrorist networks, maritime piracy and technological sabotage and espionage as potent threats to Western societies. As a genre, spy fiction is thematically related to the novel of adventure, the thriller and the politico-military thriller.
Aldrich Hazen Ames is an American former CIA counterintelligence officer who was convicted of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union and Russia in 1994. He is serving a life sentence, without the possibility of parole, in the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana. Ames was known to have compromised more highly classified CIA assets than any other officer until Robert Hanssen, who was arrested seven years later in 2001.
Michael Fassbender is a German-Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number nine on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Homeland is an American espionage thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Prisoners of War which was created by Gideon Raff, who serves as an executive producer on Homeland. The series stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, a CIA officer with bipolar disorder, and Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody, a Marine Corps scout sniper. Brody was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, and Mathison becomes convinced that he was "turned" by the enemy and poses a threat to the United States. The series storyline grows from that premise, together with Mathison's ongoing covert work.
Tye Kayle Sheridan is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in Terrence Malick's experimental drama film The Tree of Life (2011) and had his first leading role in Jeff Nichols's film Mud (2012).
Michael Fassbender is a German-Irish actor who made his screen debut in the 2001 war drama miniseries Band of Brothers as Burton Christenson. Fassbender followed this with a number of television roles including a German motorcycle courier in the drama Hearts and Bones (2001), Guy Fawkes in the miniseries Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004), Lt. Harry Colebourn in the film A Bear Named Winnie (2004), and Azazeal in the series Hex (2004–05). He made his film debut playing a Spartan soldier in Zack Snyder's 300 (2007).
Berlin Station is an American drama television series created by Olen Steinhauer. The series stars Richard Armitage, Rhys Ifans, Leland Orser, Michelle Forbes, Richard Jenkins, Keke Palmer, Ashley Judd, John Doman, Tamlyn Tomita, and Ismael Cruz Córdova. Bradford Winters had been showrunner for its first two seasons, with Jason Horwitch taking over for season 3.
The Bureau is a French espionage thriller television series created and co-written by Éric Rochant and produced by TOP – The Oligarchs Productions and Canal+, which revolves around the lives of agents of the DGSE, France's principal external security service. Originally aired in France from 27 April 2015, it was launched in the United States and Canada on iTunes on 1 June 2016 as part of a new international "Episodic Cinema" label, quickly reaching the Top Five. In the United Kingdom, the series was released exclusively by Amazon Prime on 17 June 2016.
SEAL Team is an American military drama television series created by Benjamin Cavell and produced by CBS Studios. The series starred David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Jessica Paré, Neil Brown Jr., A. J. Buckley, and Toni Trucks and follows an elite unit of United States Navy SEALs. It first aired on CBS from September 27, 2017 to October 31, 2021; after that, the series moved to Paramount+ for the remainder of its run, with the series finale airing on October 6, 2024.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is an American political action thriller television series based on characters from the fictional "Ryanverse" created by Tom Clancy. Replacing the characters of the novels with those set in modern time, it depicts CIA analyst Jack Ryan who is played by John Krasinski. The series was created by Carlton Cuse and Graham Roland. Cuse, Roland, and Krasinski serve as executive producers, alongside Michael Bay, Morten Tyldum, and Brad Fuller, among others.
The Courier is a 2020 historical spy film directed by Dominic Cooke and written by Tom O'Connor. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Greville Wynne, and is based on the true story of a British businessman who was recruited by the Secret Intelligence Service to be a message conduit with Russian spy source Oleg Penkovsky in the 1960s. Rachel Brosnahan, Jessie Buckley, and Angus Wright also star.
Without Remorse is a 2021 American action thriller film directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan and Will Staples. It is based on the 1993 novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. The film stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Luke Mitchell, Jack Kesy, Brett Gelman, Lauren London, Colman Domingo and Guy Pearce. In the film, John Kelly, a U.S. Navy SEAL, seeking revenge after his wife and unit members are killed by Russian hitmen.
Slow Horses is a British spy thriller television series based on the Slough House series of novels by Mick Herron. The first series, Slow Horses, premiered on Apple TV+ on 1 April 2022. The second series, Dead Lions, premiered on 2 December 2022. In June 2022, the programme was renewed for a third and fourth series. The third series, Real Tigers, premiered on 29 November 2023. The fourth series, Spook Street, premiered on 4 September 2024. In January 2024, it was renewed for a fifth series, which will be based on the fifth book in the series, London Rules. In October 2024, ahead of the fourth series premiere, it was renewed for a sixth series, which will be based on the sixth and seventh books in the series Joe Country and Slough House.
Rabbit Hole is an American spy thriller television series created by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra for Paramount+. The series stars Kiefer Sutherland as a private espionage agent framed for murder. The series aired from March 26 to May 7, 2023. In October 2023, the series was cancelled after one season.
The End We Start From is a 2023 British survival film starring Jodie Comer as a woman who, with her family, has to endure displacement when a widespread ecological disaster floods Britain. The film is directed by Mahalia Belo based on a screenplay by Alice Birc that adapts the 2017 novel The End We Start From by Megan Hunter. The film also stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Katherine Waterston and Mark Strong.
The Recruit is an American spy adventure television series created by Alexi Hawley for Netflix. The show follows Owen Hendricks, a CIA lawyer who becomes involved in massive international conflicts with dangerous parties after an asset tries to expose her relationship to the agency. The series was released on Netflix on December 16, 2022. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which is set to be released on January 30, 2025.
Lioness, also known as Special Ops: Lioness, is an American spy thriller television series created by Taylor Sheridan that premiered on July 23, 2023, on Paramount+. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 27, 2024.
Ghosts of Beirut is a four-part espionage thriller television series that debuted on Showtime on May 19, 2023.
Black Bag is an upcoming American spy thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp. It stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris with Pierce Brosnan and Tom Burke.
