The Amateur star Rami Malek and director James Hawes explain how the upcoming espionage thriller pulls from Slow Horses, which the latter directed episodes for. Based on a 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, The Amateur follows a CIA cryptographer who, after losing his wife in a London terrorist attack, blackmails his agency into training him and letting him pursue the people responsible. The film will mark the latest espionage-themed project for Hawes, who directed all six season 1 episodes of Slow Horses, Apple TV+’s acclaimed spy show.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, both Malek and Hawes explain how The Amateur draws from the spy movies that have come before, while also putting a very modern spin on its subject matter. Though the Jason Bourne films and classics like Three Days of the Condor (1975) are inspirations, Hawes affirms that it’s also a “a very 2025 movie.” Check out his comment below:
James Hawes: There is a mood of paranoia and conspiracy about this movie. So, we grounded ourselves in some of the heritage of those movies right back from the ’70s. We were aware of, whether it’s All the President’s Men, or Three Days of the Condor. That’s deep back in our roots. But it’s a very 2025 movie, so we’re also aware of Jason Bourne, and the things that Paul Greengrass has made, and some of the pace and urgency that comes to those films.
As for how The Amateur is similar to Slow Horses, the director and star reveal that it’s all about how they approach locations. As in the Apple TV+ show, the spy movie doesn’t feature postcard backdrops for the action and instead shows off elements of iconic cities that will be less familiar to viewers:
James Hawes: Yeah, totally. And it was important that it felt rooted. It’s never beige, but it has a life and a fizz to it. So, we took the CIA and Langley as it really exists, and then we put a little bit of tech and ’25 spin on that to make it just feel that little bit sexy. And we chose our locations very carefully so that Charlie is thrown into a world that’s been exhausted on the screen.
Rami Malek: We don’t have St. Paul’s Cathedral as a backdrop, or are not going to the Eiffel Tower, you know, elements that people recognize immediately.
James Hawes: We didn’t want tourist travel. It’s something I argued about quite strongly in the start of Slow Horses. I didn’t want to do London that you see on the tour bus. I wanted a London we lived in, and where spies inhabit, and that’s what we felt we could give with the Paris and the Marseille and the Istanbul of this adventure.
Rami Malek: And that gives you a sense of insecurity and fragility. You can’t tether yourself to a place you know, or an iconic place that you want to visit. You don’t want to go to some of these places, you have to go to some of these places.
Rami Malek standing in front of an American flag as Charlie in The Amateur
Based on the books by Mick Herron, Slow Horses has been an undeniable success for Apple TV+. The show, which stars Gary Oldman, is consistently a critical darling, and none of its four seasons have a score below 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. With Hawes having directed all of season 1 of that show, in addition to episodes of other positively-received shows like Black Mirror, The Alienist, Penny Dreadful, and Raised by Wolves, The Amateur is in good hands.
A collage of Rami Malek characters from No Time To Die, A Night at the Museum and Oppenheim
From the synopsis and the trailer, however, The Amateur is set to be even more action-packed than Slow Horses. The film, then, will seemingly feature the same attention to detail regarding the inner workings of various intelligence agencies and the bureaucracy in these organizations while also offering up as much action as the Jason Bourne movies have. This combination could mean that The Amateur achieves both critical and commercial success, thus opening the door for Hawes to make more movies in the future.
Though he has worked almost exclusively in the world of television, Hawes directed the historical drama One Life (2023), which was critically acclaimed.
Our Take On Hawes’ Approach To The Amateur
The Spy Movie Could Be A Fresh Take
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb in the Slow Horses season 4 finale
The espionage genre continues to be a major draw for audiences, but filmmakers’ takes on this genre have certainly changed over the last few decades. Slow Horses, for example, does feature heightened moments of intense action, but it also has a lot of dark comedy as it explores the frustrating power structures that exist within all-powerful intelligence agencies.
It’s also notable that Malek’s character doesn’t begin the story as a figure as skilled as Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne, and he instead has to use his more technical skillset to blackmail his own agency into training him. What’s more, Malek’s casting may really elevate the film, as he’s a very non-traditional kind of action star. Ultimately, The Agency could end up being a refreshing addition to a genre that can sometimes feel rather predictable or stale.
