We’re finally getting our first look at Special Ops: Lioness, an upcoming spy thriller set to stream on Paramount+ from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, thanks to Vanity Fair. Lioness is based on a real-life CIA program and will follow Cruz Manuelos (Laysla De Oliveira), a passionate young Marine who is recruited to join the CIA’s Lioness Engagement Team in a bid to help bring down a terrorist organization from the inside.

Of her character, De Oliveira says: “She goes in to befriend the target’s daughter. So this girl becomes her mark. She wants to get close to this girl so that they can get to the target. But when you’re hanging out with somebody every day and get to know them as humans, it gets really hard to do what you have to do.”

De Oliveira has some A-list star power supporting her in the series. Zoe Saldaña, hot on the heels of both her appearance in Avatar: The Way of Water and her final appearance as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, appears as Joe, the station chief of the program who is tasked with training, managing, and leading her elite team of female undercover operatives. Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman was first attached to executive produce, but the actress will also find on-screen, which was part of the appeal for Saldaña.

What Did Zoe Saldaña Think About Joining an Espionage Series?

“We were in the middle of the pandemic. The thought of me committing to a multi-seasonal show was just daunting,” said Saldaña. “I told him that I just wasn’t ready. I was scared shitless, in other words. I was just like, ‘I’m going to fail. I just do science fiction. I don’t do this.’ It was Taylor Sheridan. Nicole Kidman was already attached to produce, and she was going to play a part in it as well. So obviously, that was a dream for me.”

Kidman has also spoken about the low-key approach needed by these spies, who must remain unnoticed at all costs. “It’s a secretive world,” Kidman says. “They put their country before themselves by remaining anonymous. They have to remain anonymous to preserve their program.” The actress plays Kaitlyn Meade, a DC veteran and senior CIA supervisor who oversees the program from the corridors of Washington, and works alongside Morgan Freeman as Edwin Mullins, the Secretary of State, and Michael Kelly as CIA Deputy Director Byron Westfield.

You can check out the first images from Special Ops: Lioness at Vanity Fair.

via Collider