The Night Manager stormed onto our screens in 2016, quickly becoming expected viewing for millions around the world. Screenwriter David Farr says that this latest addition has been a dream come true. The new season is a decade after their first run. It promises to explore the lives of its morally ambiguous characters, addressing themes of power and sexuality. Farr’s artistic process started when an unexpected inspiration came to Farr one night while lying in bed. This inspiration is what informed the course of his follow-up, too.
The first miniseries hooked audiences with the journey of Jonathan Pine, hotelier-turned-spy (Tom Hiddleston). This taut, exhilarating story, which served as the basis for John le Carré’s 1993 novel. Pine’s mission to infiltrate arms dealer Richard Roper, played by Hugh Laurie, hooked viewers when it debuted in 2016. The inaugural season received both critical acclaim and the attention of American audiences. It drew an unthinkable 10 million viewers, forever changing the landscape of television. Its international appeal and international partnerships helped drive global sales in 180 countries.
With the new season, Farr has reimagined Pine as “more chiselled and manly,” reflecting his evolution over the decade that has passed since the first series. Now, the narrative has added a equally deadly femme fatale, Roxana Bolaños (Camila Morrone). The chemistry between Pine, Bolaños and Teddy Dos Santos makes for such a compelling throuple. Played by Diego Calva, this bond deepens the film’s paradoxical theme.
The second season relocates the action to Colombia. Today this small country is one of the most important players in today’s geopolitical conversation. The first few episodes take us on thrilling adventure across Egypt, Barcelona, Miami and Medellín. These colorful cities provide the most stunning of backdrops for this compelling story to play out against.
Farr’s adaptation further digs into the complicated and often antagonistic tie between Britain and America over foreign policy issues. He stated, “The intelligence world has always been a sexually fluid place. Le Carré explored it in his books.” He acknowledged that the dynamic between Pine and Roper in season one included homoerotic undertones. In this sequel, his goal is to further the open-minded investigation of sexual fluidity.
“I’ve been a Le Carré fan since watching Smiley’s People with my Dad when I was 10,” – David Farr
Even with all that commercial success and enormous demand for another smash, Farr was initially reluctant at the prospect of a sequel. He remembered the sense of terror he had when he was commissioned to reimagine The Night Manager for the small screen. In Farr’s original concept, the narrative was moved to the time of the Arab Spring, a change le Carré was fully on board with.
There was never a discussion of more. It was one-and-done,” he said. When it turned into one of the biggest hits of all time, there was an obvious appetite for a follow-up. I wasn’t feeling it. Folks must have thought I was out of my mind. I didn’t want to get everything all jacked up by inadvertently making a duplicate though.
Now, as Hiddleston prepares to step back into Jonathan Pine’s shoes for the third time, he considers how much the character’s changed since he first appeared on screen. He notes that Pine must remain active in his quest for justice:
“The errant knight, on fire with moral fury, would need to stay in active service. Once he’d seen behind the curtain, there would be no going back.” – Tom Hiddleston
Hiddleston, too, sings the praises of his co-star Olivia Colman, who after their last outing has found new levels of acclaim and recognition. He remarks on how both their careers have progressed over time:
“A lot has happened in both our lives – she won an Oscar and has become a national treasure – but we kept in touch along the way.” – Tom Hiddleston
Most importantly, Hiddleston seems aware that for all its style, the film’s real emotional headliner is Pine. He suggests that running serves as a form of catharsis for Pine’s deep-seated trauma:
“We spoke about Pine’s need to run as a kind of somatic catharsis. There’s a deep well of pain and trauma at the centre of him. His running clears his head, cools his heart, stills his racing mind.” – Tom Hiddleston
As the tale develops, it plunges deep into a tangle of personal loyalties and political machinations. The Night Manager wants to be more than the usual genre fare. Farr emphasizes that while spy dramas like The Night Manager are exciting and thrilling to watch, they encapsulate the very real world tensions and dynamics of our time.
“If I don’t get the Daily Mail in a lather, I’ve done something wrong!” – David Farr
Hiddleston hints at Pine’s transformation over the years as well:
“He has a few more scars on the outside and on the inside.” – Tom Hiddleston