Even though it will be a little while before we see the latest addition to the FBI universe, CIA, lead star Tom Ellis (Lucifer) is peeling back the curtain on his character Hart Hoxton. The series has gone through a recent change in showrunner, which may be why CIA is expected to premiere midseason. Departing the Dick Wolf property is David Hudgins as showrunner, and taking his place is Wolf Entertainment alum Warren Leight. That news broke back in July. So far, Ellis is the only announced cast member for the upcoming CBS spin-off. In talking with Collider’s Christina Radish for The Thursday Murder Club, with production expected to begin in September, Ellis revealed some new details about his character:
“The biggest thing I’ll say about it so far is that initially my character was going to be American, obviously, because he’s a CIA agent. But I met Dick Wolf for about five minutes, in the flesh, and during that conversation, Dick was like, ‘Hey, Tom, we’ve got to make your character British.’ I was like, ‘Really? Do they have British people in the CIA?’ And he said, ‘It doesn’t matter.’ So, my character is now British. He’s a dual citizen, but I speak with a British dialect in it. As Dick said, it’s the perfect cover.”
‘CIA’ Is Still “Gaining” Its “Own Identity”
According to Ellis, the series hasn’t “done a pilot,” which Ellis says “is a really strange experience for me. That normally is your time for finding your character, finding out what the show is, experimenting with tone, and all those different things. We haven’t got there yet. But the script is in a really great place.” Ellis, being the only confirmed cast member, also adds that “we’re trying to find the person I’m going to play opposite, essentially.” Ellis’s experience so far, joining the ranks of one of a dozen shows under Dick Wolf Productions has been “great.” He says, “They’ve been incredibly enthusiastic and supportive about what we’re doing. I think there is a shared feeling that we would like to really make our mark as a show.” The feeling from Ellis, he says that it’s going to feel less like an FBI spin-off, and “the more it’s gone on, I think we’re actually gaining our own identity.” He says:
“There will be some differences in this show to a lot of the other Wolf shows. We’re trying to lean a lot more into character stuff. The central relationship between my character and the FBI character is going to be very much a driving force for the show. Even though we’re going to be a case of the week type of procedural, we’re going to spend a bit more time with our main characters then they traditionally do on a lot of these Wolf shows. I’m really looking forward to starting. I don’t know physically how different it will be. I’ll get to do a lot of running and jumping. The key to it, like anything, is finding the tone. What’s the sweet spot of this show? It will be a different procedural to Lucifer, that’s for sure. The character of Lucifer was able to satirize this genre. This will be a lot more grounded, in that sense. I’m really excited about starting. I think it’s going to be really interesting.”
In all, Ellis is “looking forward to it because I do enjoy a challenge,” he tells Collider. “And different jobs bring different challenges.”
