Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce to lead limited series 'A Spy Among Friends'

Actor Damian Lewis will feature along with Guy Pearce in the upcoming series ''A Spy Among Friends''.

Based on the New York Times best-selling book by author Ben Macintyre, the limited series comes from BritBox UK, the streaming service created by ITV and the BBC, and Spectrum Originals.

Created by Alexander Cary, the show will be jointly produced by Sony Pictures TV, ITV Studios and Veritas Entertainment Group, BritBox said in a statement.

''A Spy Among Friends'' revolves around the defection of a British intelligence officer and KGB double agent (Pearce) and his relationship with an MI6 friend and colleague (Lewis).

Lewis, who recently exited the Showtime series ''Billions'', will also serve as executive producer through his production company, Ginger Biscuit Entertainment. Nick Murphy is directing and executive producing the six-episode series, which started production in London this week and also will shoot in Romania.

According to Cary, the show dramatises the true story of spies and lifelong friends Nicholas Elliott (Lewis) and Kim Philby (Pearce), one of whom was betraying the other all along.

''A friendship that resulted in the gutting of British and American intelligence at the height of the Cold War and shaped the field of play for the dangerous game against Russia that we're still trying to win today,'' Cary said.

''Macintyre's books about spies from recent history are relevant and exciting because they examine the larger universal themes of human behaviour that drive individuals among us, and like us, to excel in the murky world of espionage and, for better or worse, leave a lasting impact on the world,'' he added.

The show will also feature actors Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Kunken and Adrian Edmondson.

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