Netflix has released the first trailer for the upcoming limited seriesThe Spy, which is based on the true story of an Israeli clerk named Eli Cohen who turned secret agent to go deep undercover inside Syria on a perilous, years-long mission to spy for Mossad.Sacha Baron Cohenplays Eli Cohen, and there’s no hint of comedy to be found here. While this isn’t Cohen’s first foray into dramatic territory—he stretched his acting chops inLes MiserablesandHugo—it is a rare tone for the guy behindBoratandWho Is America?
Cohen looks to be giving a swell performance here, and he’s under the direction ofPrisoners of Warcreator andHomelandexecutive producerGideon Raffwho wrote and directed all ofThe Spy, withMax Perryco-writing episodes 3-6. As a fan ofThe Americans, it’s also fun to seeNoah Emmerichgetting his spycraft on once again.
Check out theSpytrailer and poster below. The series also starsHadar Ratzon RotemandWaleed Zuaiterand premieres on Netflix on September 6th.
Here’s the official synopsis forThe Spy:
In the 1960s, Israeli clerk-turned-secret agent Eli Cohen goes deep undercover inside Syria on a perilous, years-long mission to spy for Mossad.
The series stars Emmy-nominatedSacha Baron Cohen(Who is America?)as Cohen, a man who wants nothing more than to be of service to his country, but he does his job so well that he finds it hard to strip off his double identity.Noah Emmerich(The Americans) plays Dan Peleg, Eli’s Mossad handler who tries to ease his own guilt over the sacrifices Eli makes,Hadar Ratzon Rotem(Homeland)portrays Eli’s wife, Nadia, who is left to raise their family on her own and knows something isn’t right about her husband’s government job, andWaleed Zuaiter(Colony) plays Amin Al-Hafez, a military officer who thinks he’s found the perfect ally in the undercover Cohen.THE SPYis written and directed by Emmy-winnerGideon Raff(Prisoners of War,HomelandandTyrant).RaffandMax Perry co-wroteepisodes 3-6. The series is produced byAlain Goldman(La Vie en Rose) andLégende Films.
