Michael Fassbender’s New CIA Thriller Show Is The Perfect Follow Up To His 2023 David Fincher Hitman Movie With 85% Rotten Tomatoes Score

Michael Fassbender’s new Paramount+ political thriller series The Agency is a tonally perfect followup to his 2023 David Fincher movie The Killer. Created for American television by Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow, Ford v Ferrari), The Agency is an adaptation of the 2015 acclaimed French thriller series The Bureau created by Eric Rochant. Fassbender leads the cast of The Agency alongside Jeffrey Wright, Richard Gere, Katherine Waterson, John Magaro, Saura Lightfoot-Leon, and Jodie Turner-Smith.

Fassbender is a 2-time Oscar nominee best known for his titular role in 2015’s Steve Jobs and his supporting role in the Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave. He is also a part of two major film franchises, X-Men (First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, Dark Phoenix) and Alien (Prometheus, Alien: Covenant). His other notable film roles include Assassin’s Creed, Macbeth, Kneecap, Shame, 300, Jane Eyre, and Inglourious Basterds. In television, Fassbender appeared in Band of Brothers before starring in The Agency.

Michael Fassbender Plays A CIA Operative In The Agency Who Is Chillingly Similar To His Character In The Killer

Martian is a no-nonsense, highly effective covert operative in The Agency

Michael Fassbender plays “Martian” in The Agency, a storied and hardened CIA operative who gets called in for a crucial assignment after a fellow agent disappears. Martian is cold, calculated, meticulous, highly intelligent, and eerily serious, much like Fassbender’s unnamed protagonist in The Killer. While Martian and The Killer have similar attributes, they also have distinct differences. For example, Martian is slightly more warm and vulnerable, while The Killer is so unemotionally robotic he comes off as inhuman.

Those who have seen The Killer will remember that Fassbender’s titular protagonist in the Fincher film is a hired assassin who makes a compromising error. Given the nature of the CIA-oriented plot, The Agency also features similar themes of espionage and a particular brand of high-stakes excellence in the dark world of international intelligence and powerful shadow figures. While The Agency lacks The Killer’s voiceover narration, it does feature a gripping story and a fantastic cast, making it one of the sharpest spy thriller series of 2024.

Is The Agency As Good As Or Even Better Than The Killer?

The Agency is off to a gripping start after its two-episode premiere

Despite its promising source material and ensemble cast, The Agency has received mixed reviews, resulting in a negative Rotten Tomatoes score of 45% after its two-episode premiere on November 29, 2024. Following its two-episode premiere on Paramount+, The Agency arguably has more suspenseful scenes and palpable action than The Killer. The Agency rivals the celebrated quality of The Killer in many ways, particularly in its subdued yet piercing tone. It remains to be seen whether The Agency will be as popular and well-received as The Killer but the similarities between the two Fassbender-led thrillers are undeniable.