Damian Lewis and Dominic West starring in Cold War drama ‘A Spy Among Friends’

Cold War espionage thriller A Spy Among Friends is being adapted for television.

Based on Ben Macintyre’s book, the six-part mini-series is set to star British actors Damian Lewis (The Forsyte Saga) and Dominic West (The Affair).

Former Homeland executive producer Alexander Cary is overseeing the adaptation of A Spy Among Friends for Spectrum Originals and BritBox.

An “epic telling of one of the greatest spy stories ever,” Macintyre’s book is based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files.

The book’s official synopsis reads: “Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot.

“Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.

“Every word uttered in confidence to Philby by his colleagues in the West made its way to Moscow, leading countless missions to their doom and subverting American and British attempts to subdue the Soviet threat. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed?

“In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.”

The series is expected to premiere towards the end of 2021 on Spectrum Originals in the US and on BritBox in the UK.

Ben Macintyre’s book A Spy Among Friends is available on Amazon.