Le Carre’s sons blocked Oldman from Tinker Tailor sequel, agent says

Actor Gary Oldman starred as George Smiley in the 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and was keen to appear in a sequel
Actor Gary Oldman starred as George Smiley in the 2011 film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and was keen to appear in a sequel - FILM STILLS

John le Carré’s sons have blocked Gary Oldman from appearing in a sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the actor’s manager has claimed.

Oldman played ageing spymaster George Smiley in the 2011 Cold War spy film, which is based on le Carré’s 1974 novel of the same name.

The film also starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, and John Hurt, and saw Oldman nominated for best actor at the Academy Awards.

Preparation for him to appear in a sequel, based on le Carré’s novel Smiley’s People, was under way when the author’s sons allegedly intervened.

Oldman’s manager Douglas Urbanski told the Radio Times: “We loved Tinker and we started to do prep for Gary to do Smiley’s People and suddenly there was an unexpected rights issue.

“We’ve reached out, including again recently, to le Carré’s sons and — the damnedest thing — they have no interest in Gary playing Smiley again. I don’t know why.”

He described the reason behind the block as a mystery.

Nick and Simon Cornwall, who according to his agent have blocked Gary Oldman from playing George Smiley again
Nick and Simon Cornwall, who according to his agent have blocked Gary Oldman from playing George Smiley again - DAVID ROSE

Le Carré’s sons, Simon and Nick Cornwell, a film producer and novelist respectively, were approached for comment by The Telegraph. The estate of John le Carré was also contacted.

Nick Cornwell –  born from le Carré’s second marriage, to book editor Jane Eustace, in 1972 – has previously spoken of his personal connection to the character.

Better known by his pen name Nick Harkaway, he has continued his father’s work with a new novel about Smiley called Karla’s Choice, to be released in October.

It follows Smiley in the missing years between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway is a novel that fills in the missing years in the George Smiley saga and is due to be released in October
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway is a novel that fills in the missing years in the George Smiley saga and is due to be released in October

Mr Cornwell told Penguin Books: “Smiley is woven into my life; Tinker Tailor was written in the two years after I was born and I grew up with the evolution of the Circus, so this is a deeply personal journey for me, and of course, it’s a journey which has to feel right to the le Carré audience.”

“It seems as if we need the Smiley stories back now because they ask us the questions of the moment: what compassion do we owe to one another as human beings, and at what point does that compassion become more important than nation, law or duty?”

Le Carré, who also wrote The Night Manager, died in December 2020 aged 89. He had a cameo in the 2011 film and was full of praise for Oldman’s performance as Smiley, a sly and patient intelligence officer who uncovers a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service.

‘Rabbit pulled out of the hat’

He told AnOther, a fashion and culture bi-annual magazine, in 2011:  “I had misgivings about how we would cast Smiley and it was a great secret really, until the rabbit was pulled out of the hat.

“The rabbit was Gary Oldman and I had never seen a better rabbit in my life. And Gary, even from the earliest rushes, was a man waiting patiently to explode. He had what painters call the ‘energy of the object’.”

Le Carré even wrote an email to Oldman saying: “I love the movie, love your Smiley… it’s a beautiful performance”, according to the 2020 memoir, A Private Spy: the Letters of John le Carré.

In return, the actor was full of admiration for le Carré, paying a posthumous tribute to him as “a very great author” who “owned the genre” of the spy novel. With no bad blood evident between the two, it is unclear why le Carré’s sons allegedly moved to stop Oldman reprising the role of Smiley.