MGM+ Scoops Up Sam Heughan Thriller ‘Embassy’
It’s unfortunate that Amazon isn’t doing more to ensure viewers are aware of MGM+.
It’s unfortunate that Amazon isn’t doing more to ensure viewers are aware of MGM+. The often-overlooked streaming platform has some generally excellent programming — especially for Anglophiles — and is home to shows that run the gamut from Belgravia: The Next Chapter and Robin Hood to the forthcoming John Le Carre adaptation Legacy of Spies. It’s continuing its run of intriguing acquisitions with the high-stakes action thriller Embassy, which features Oscar-nominated film actress Anna Kendrick (Another Simple Favor) in a rare television role.
The six-part series stars Kendrick as Layla, an American diplomat who finds herself trapped in an impossible situation when a crew of mercenaries attacks the U.S. embassy in London. Charged with protecting an important asset on the orders of the U.S. ambassador, she must work with her ex-fiancé — who luckily also happens to be a British special forces soldier — to survive.
Alongside Kendrick, Sam Heughan (Outlander) plays Connor Wright, the (obviously very handsome) former fiancé whom Layla will almost certainly still have no small amount of chemistry with, and J.K. Simmons (The Westies) is the U.S. ambassador. Other familiar faces in the series cast include Katie McGrath (Merlin), Luke Treadaway (The Serial Killer’s Wife), James Murray (Wild Cherry), and Alexander Karim (Young Woman & the Sea).
Here’s the series’ synopsis.
When armed mercenaries storm the U.S. Embassy in London, Layla a sharp and resourceful American diplomat, faces an impossible choice: protect the U.S. Ambassador or follow his orders to exfiltrate a high value asset being held at the embassy. As a larger conspiracy unfolds, Layla must rely on her instincts – and the reluctant help of her ex-fiancé, a British SAS soldier – in the tense hours before extraction.
“Embassy is an exciting addition to the MGM+ slate—a high-octane six-part thriller with an exceptional cast and creative team,” Michael Wright, global head of MGM+, said in a statement. “Anna Kendrick, Sam Heughan, and J.K. Simmons... have created a cinematic thriller that reinforces MGM+ as a destination for classic storytelling for a modern audience.”
Created and written by Rom Lotan (Conversia), the series is directed by John Strickland (The Rig) and Christian Alvart (Case 39). Lotan and Strickland are also executive producers, alongside Hester Ruoff, Bart Ruspoli and Matt Mitchell for Ascendant Fox; Daniel Hetzer, Jakob Neuhausser, Justin Thomson, and David Tanner for Turbine; and AGC’s Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, and Miguel A. Palos Jr.
Embassy does not yet have a confirmed premiere date, but the series will most likely stream on MGM+ later this year.
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