‘Safe Houses’: Ana de Armas to Lead Apple TV’s New Spy Series!!

Setting aside the dual personalities and lives one has to lead, as well as the need to constantly look over one’s shoulder. Being a spy is really cool. James Bond romanticized spycraft, but there is a dark side to the world of espionage. While Hollywood every so often blends comedy with espionage, the true world of intelligence is quite stoic and slippery. Several projects have shone a light on this fact, with shows like Netflix‘s The Night Agent, Prime Video‘s Citadel, and James Spader‘s lengthy soiree as Raymond Reddington in The Blacklist, highlighting the cost.

While Netflix is arguably the biggest streaming service in the world, Apple TV+ is not a platform to be sniffed at. With titles such as Masters of the Air, the sci-fi series Silo, Ted Lasso, and Severance, the streamer has a decent collection of its own. When you add Slow Horses and Tehran to the mix, we bring in the streamer’s heavyweight espionage shows. According to prior reporting, Apple TV is looking to expand its sphere within that genre with a new eight-episode thriller series titled Safe Houses.

A new report confirms that Ana de Armas will lead the series inspired by the espionage novel by Dan Fesperman. The same report also reveals that David Lyons (The Beast in Me) and Tobias Menzies (F1) will both also feature in the upcoming spy thriller series. Jennifer Connelly had been previously announced as part of the ensemble. The eight-episode thriller is set in the aftermath of the killing of a high-ranking CIA officer in Madrid. The show follows Sofia Jiménez, a fugitive agent accused of the crime, and Ambassador Elizabeth Winters, his widow, as they each investigate the murder from opposite sides, unraveling a vast conspiracy that could upend the balance of global power.

Who Is Behind Apple TV’s ‘Safe Houses’?

Talent and experience are two key ingredients for any show looking to distinguish itself and Safe Houses seems fully stacked. Gideon Raff, creator of the acclaimed spy drama, Homeland, is behind the upcoming project, with a co-production between wiip and Apple Studios backing the series. Otto Bathurst is set to direct the opening block of the series and also serves as executive producer, with Raff serving as showrunner and executive producer and directing several episodes. The addition of Lyons and Menzies signals the introduction of strong talent, with Lyons’ previous credits including roles in Howard Gordon’s The Beast in Me and Season 3 of Shawn Ryan’s The Night Agent. Menzies’ previous roles include Outlander, The Crown, and Manhunt, as well as an appearance in Apple’s Oscar-nominated F1.