DIRECTOR JOE WRIGHT TEAMS UP WITH  

WRITERS JEZ & JOHN-HENRY BUTTERWORTH
FOR ESPIONAGE POLITICAL THRILLER THE DEPARTMENT FOR PARAMOUNT+

Commissioned by Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Produced in Association with 101 Studios,
the Series Will Debut on the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME^® Plan

Wright to Direct and Butterworth Brothers to Pen All Ten Episodes
Based on the Critically-Acclaimed Hit French Drama Le Bureau des Legendes, 

One of the Most-Watched Ever Global Series

Photos: Courtesy of Talent

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March 5, 2024 – Paramount+ announced today that Joe Wright, the director behind the Golden Globe and multi-BAFTA winning films Pride and Prejudice, The Darkest Hour and Atonement, will direct and executive produce the new drama series from Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, THE DEPARTMENT. An espionage political thriller series based on the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Legendes, THE DEPARTMENT will debut on Paramount+ for subscribers with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan later this year. 

Tony Award-winning writer Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari, Edge of Tomorrow) will executive produce and write all ten episodes. George Clooney and Grant Heslov will executive produce through their Smokehouse Pictures along with David C. Glasser and 101 Studios.

“Joe Wright is a visionary director with a gift of focusing on intricate details to craft immersive and visually striking stories,” said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios. “And, Jez and John-Henry are masterful writers whose witty and emotionally charged language dives deep into their characters’ moral complexities, while simultaneously creating a propulsive narrative. Bringing these powerhouse creatives together alongside George Clooney and Grant Heslov is sure to give The Bureau the reinvention it deserves."

Le Bureau centers on the daily life and missions of agents within France's principal external security service. It focuses on the "Bureau of Legends," responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions in areas with French interests. Living under false identities for years, these agents' missions are to identify and recruit good intelligence sources. The New York Times named it one of the top international shows of the decade, and NPR has called it “addictively suspenseful” and “one of the best TV shows in the world.” 

Le Bureau was created by Eric Rochant and is a CANAL+ Creation Originale series produced by TOP – The Originals Productions (Alex Berger, Eric Rochant) and Federation Studios (Pascal Breton). Production is slated to start later this year.

Joe Wright has a total of nine feature films released to date and his directorial work has received 35 BAFTA, 24 Academy Awards, 12 Golden Globe nominations and wins. Wright’s feature film directorial debut was Pride & Prejudice in 2005, starring Keira Knightley, Matthew MacFadyen, Rosamund Pike and Donald Sutherland, which won Wright a BAFTA Award for Best Director. This was followed by Atonement, based on Ian McEwan’s novel, released in 2007 and starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. 2009 saw the release of The Soloist, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, which was followed by HANNA in May 2011, starring Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan. Anna Karenina was released in September 2012, starring Keira Knightley, Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Soon afterwards, Joe made his debut in the theatre world with Trelawny Of The Wells at the Donmar Theatre, followed by A Season In The Congo at the Young Vic starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. In 2015, Wright directed the feature Pan. Darkest Hour was released in 2017 and starred Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James and Gary Oldman. In  2021 Woman In The Window was released with cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore and Gary Oldman. Wright’s latest movie is Cyrano, a musical based on the play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ by Edmond Rostand and stars Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ben Mendelsohn. Currently in Post-production on M. Son Of The Century, the new based on the Premio Strega-winning and international bestselling book by Antonio Scurati, which chronicles the birth of fascism in Italy and the Duce Benito Mussolini’s rise to power.

Jez Butterworth is an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. His first play, Mojo (Royal Court Theatre, 1995), won seven major awards, including the Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Other plays include The Night Heron (2002), The Winterling, (2006), Parlour Song (2008). Jerusalem (2009), The River (2012) and The Ferryman (2017). Jerusalem won Best Play at the Evening Standard Awards 2010, The UK Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play 2010, before traveling to Broadway where it won Best Foreign Play, at the New York Critics Circle Awards 2011. It received six Tony nominations, winning two, including Best Actor for Mark Rylance. His sixth play for the Royal Court, The Ferryman, won Best Play and Best Director at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2017, the Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and 3 Olivier Awards. In 2018, The Ferryman transferred to Broadway and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning four including the award for Best Play 2019. His latest play The Hills of California began its West End run in February 2024. Directed by Sam Mendes, it stars Laura Donnelly, Leanne Best, Ophelia Lovibond and Helena Wilson. Butterworth’s screenwriting credits include Fair Game (2010) directed by Doug Liman and starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts, Get On Up (2014) directed by Tate Taylor and starring Chadwick Boseman and Octavia Spencer, Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) directed by Doug Liman and starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, Black Mass (2015) directed by Scott Cooper and starring Johnny Depp and Dakota Johnson, Spectre (2015) directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig and Naomie Harris, Ford v Ferrari (2019) directed by James Mangold and starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) directed by James Mangold and starring Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. For television, Butterworth has created and written the comedy series Mammals starring James Corden, Sally Hawkins, Melia Kreiling and Colin Morgan. Butterworth also created the historical fantasy drama Britannia which stars David Morrissey, Zoe Wanamaker and Mackenzie Crook and ran for three seasons.

John-Henry Butterworth is a British screenwriter who has written a number of films with his brother Jez. Together they won the Writers Guild of America’s 2011 Paul Selvin Award for their screenplay for the 2010 film Fair Game. Other credits include Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Get on Up (2014), and French language cult movie Malgre Le Nuit (2015). Together with David Kelley, he wrote and developed the series Nine Perfect Strangers (2021).

Commissioned by Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and produced in association with 101 Studios, THE DEPARTMENT will be executive produced by Keith Cox and Nina L. Diaz of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin and Bob Yari of 101 Studios (Yellowstone); George Clooney and Grant Heslov for Smokehouse Pictures;  Alex Berger for The Originals Productions; and Ashley Stern and Pascal Breton for Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth will serve as writers and executive producers; Joe Wright will executive produce and serve as director for the first two episodes. 

About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and A Mountain of Entertainment™. The streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. Paramount+ with SHOWTIME^®, the service's cornerstone plan, is also home to SHOWTIME^® content, including scripted hits and critically acclaimed nonfiction projects and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball and more. All Paramount+ subscribers have streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.

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About SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks 

SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks is a global network of media assets that reaches over one billion people in more than 180 countries featuring some of the most iconic brands in entertainment including SHOWTIME, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Network among others – and, its Studios arm which produces 120+ series annually, including some of today’s biggest hits such as Yellowstone, Yellowjackets, Emily in Paris, 1883, 1923, George & Tammy, South Park, Tulsa King, RuPaul’s Drag Race, The Challenge and Jersey Shore, to name a few.

PARAMOUNT+ CONTACTS:

Cassidy Aquino: cassidy.aquino@showtime.com  

Nikki Kozel: nikki.kozel@paramount.com 

MTV ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS CONTACTS:

Lauren Nowell: lauren.nowell@paramount.com 

Ali Marszalkowski: ali.marszalkowski@paramount.com

Charli Wood: charli.wood@paramount.com 

101 STUDIOS CONTACT:

Dani Weinstein: dweinstein@101studiosco.com