The FBI universe is about to get one step closer to expanding. Although the upcoming spin-off, CIA, was pushed back to midseason next year, its lead, Tom Ellis, was able to share some much more positive news about the status of filming. In an interview with Collider’s Christina Radish for his role in Netflix’s new mystery film, The Thursday Murder Club, he revealed exactly when things will get underway with bringing the latest branch of Dick Wolf’s universe to life. Beyond that, he also broke down what makes both the process and the show itself different from other titles in Wolf’s extensive television production catalog.
Ellis was specifically asked about how the challenges and physicality of filming CIA compared to his time starring in Lucifer and other past series. However, he said he couldn’t make comparisons because “We haven’t started yet,” before confirming that cameras begin rolling next month. “We start shooting in September because we’re going to be a midseason.” There was at least one aspect of the production that caught him off guard, though — the lack of a pilot. Originally, the series had been conceived as a planted spin-off with a backdoor pilot episode in the Missy Peregrym and Zeeko Zaki-led flagship FBI series, though plans changed, and the show instead pursued a straight-to-series order. The episode would’ve given Ellis and his co-stars a chance to establish themselves in the procedural’s world, rather than drop them straight into a season.
Not shooting a pilot is a departure from what Ellis had seen on television, and he is unsure how it’ll feel to adapt to the show without that trial run. However, two things he is confident about, even as the casting is still falling into place, are the script and the team at Dick Wolf Productions behind CIA. There’s a real desire to make the spin-off feel like nothing ever before in the FBI universe, down to the casting.
“No, we haven’t done a pilot, which 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. They’re still casting at the moment. We’re trying to find the person I’m going to play opposite, essentially. What I would say is that I’ve had a great time with the people from Dick Wolf Productions. 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. I think initially we were going to be a spin out series from FBI. The more it’s gone on, I think we’re actually gaining our own identity.”
Ellis Says ‘CIA’ Will Lean Into Character Dynamics Compared to Other Wolf Shows
CIA was written by Wolf and FBI: Most Wanted showrunner David Hudgins, and follows a typical odd-couple team-up between a CIA caseworker, played by Ellis, and a seasoned FBI agent. The former is a motormouthed rule-breaker willing to push boundaries to get the job done, while the latter is a model officer who still has faith in the justice system and sees value in doing things by the book. When assigned to the CIA’s New York Station together, however, they slowly learn to overcome those differences and turn them into strengths by working to take down the greatest threats in the country. The premise alone drives home how important the relationship between the two leads will be in keeping viewers invested, though Ellis goes one step beyond.
While Wolf’s shows aren’t a stranger to developing strong partnerships, like OA (Zaki) and Maggie’s (Peregrym), Ellis thinks the new spin-off shakes things up by giving more time and attention to the characters’ dynamics. Comparing it to Lucifer, he considers CIA a more grounded partner-centric series that’ll still highlight cases of the week, but with a different focus. It’s a change of pace he’s excited about, though he won’t know exactly what the tone of the show will be or the exact physical demand it’ll require until cameras begin rolling.
“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 than 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.”
What to Expect From ‘The Thursday Murder Club’
Before Ellis joins the FBI universe, he’ll join Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kinglsey, and Celia Imrie for a cozy murder mystery at Coopers Chase. Releasing in select theaters on August 22 and on Netflix August 28, The Thursday Murder Club is an adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling novel, following four elderly nursing home residents who, through their unique set of skills, solve cold cases together. When a not-so-cold case crops up nearby, however, they combine their respective backgrounds as a retired spy, union boss, psychiatrist, and nurse to get to the bottom of the incident. Home Alone and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus helmed the adaptation, with Ellis as part of the extensive supporting cast also featuring Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, and a villainous David Tennant, among others.
