Hollywood Returns to Estonia for New Spy Thriller Series
Filming took place in Estonia for a major Hollywood TV series by Paramount+, featuring acclaimed actors Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere. The first two episodes are being directed by Joe Wright ("Pride & Prejudice," "Atonement"), with George Clooney and Grant Heslov serving as producers.
The series, titled "The Agency", is a remake of the French original "Le Bureau des Légendes." This new adaptation aims to "take [the] franchise to the next level, making a new high-stake international espionage show set today in a very complex geopolitical environment,” explained Alex Berger, President and Executive Producer at The Originals Productions.
It focuses on a department responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions who live under false identities for years, aiming to identify and recruit intelligence sources.
The series has been shot in various locations across Estonia, including Nõmme, Lasnamäe, and Central Tallinn. Notable filming sites included areas around the Hilton Tallinn Park, the Politsei Park and public broadcaster ERR's offices, and the 200-meter stretch between Kreutzwaldi and Kunderi and on Kreutzwaldi and Faehlmanni, including the latter intersection.
Additionally, filming took place in Narva. Several scenes were shot on the fenced-off territory of the former Kreenholm factory, right on the Russian border, as well as around Elektrijaama road and Narva road.
It appears that for most scenes, signage on businesses and cafes were changed to make it look like the action was taking place in Belarus, and the center of Tallinn became the city of Minsk.
Edith Sepp of the Estonian Film Institute (Eesti Filmi Instituut) told ERR that "this is a major project, it's a TV series in multiple parts, and it's certain there will be multiple seasons. If the first season goes well in Estonia, it could end up a long-term project which continues for the forthcoming years: This is our great hope".
"The Agency" is expected to premiere on Paramount+ by the end of 2024.
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