Will We Ever Get a Sequel to ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’?

The Big Picture

• Sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on Smiley’s People, is unlikely due to expired rights to the IP.
• The TV reboot of the Smiley Saga is on the horizon, providing an opportunity for a fresh take on the spy thriller.
• Smiley’s People delves into the intense cat-and-mouse game between Smiley and Karla, adding layers of complexity.

The Cold War British spy drama Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was released in 2011 and received much critical acclaim. Audiences fell in love with its brilliant and unassuming protagonist, who weaves a web of intrigue exposing the mole at British Intelligence. The film had an immensely stacked cast featuring familiar British faces. It was a smash at the box office, topping the British box office chart for three consecutive weeks. So when will fans see Smiley (Gary Oldman) again? For a while, things looked hopeful for a film sequel based on the 1979 spy novel Smiley’s People by John le Carré, with Gary Oldman reprising Smiley’s role.

‘Tinker Tailor Solider Spy’ Seemed Very Possible at One Point

With the success of the film secured, a sequel seemed like a sure thing. It would be a natural progression from the book series it was adapted from. John le Carré has created a rich and exciting literary world with his novel Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and dozens of sequels featuring George Smiley, Gary Oldman’s character in the film. If the rights could be secured, the producers had one hell of a franchise on their hands. Gary Oldman thought a sequel was all but assured. As far back as 2011, he told The Guardian, “I think they’re whispering now that they might do Smiley’s People,” said Oldman. “Not so much as a sequel, because there’s a book in the middle actually, but we’ve set up the world, and we’ll revisit it.” The energy certainly seemed there, at least on the part of its star. But it takes more than a star to make a film.

Film director Tomas Alfredson told the Radio Times in 2021 that, “I felt like I couldn’t do another Smiley film directly after the first, it wouldn’t feel right. I was too exhausted and worn out on this particular subject at that moment. I was still very open to making it!” Without the original director, the sequel was left to simmer on the back burner. Time would pass, and the inertia of the film began to dissipate. Then came the sequel’s death knell. In the same Radio Times article, Alfredson explained that the rights to the film adaptations of John le Carré books expired.

A cinematic sequel was unlikely because the rights to the intellectual property had then reverted back to the Le Carré estate. However, Alfredson sounded optimistic about the franchise’s future, speaking of a reboot of the Smiley Saga for television. “I think they’re planning to do some kind of big relaunch on The Smiley Saga for television, but I’m not involved in it.” So, while there is no sequel in the works for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, for a while, a TV reboot seemed possible.

What Is ‘Smiley’s People’ About?

The novel Smiley’s People, initially published in 1979, is the third book in what is known as the “Karla Trilogy.” The book brings George Smiley out of retirement to investigate the mysterious death of a former agent. The agent in question is Vladimir, who has quite a cloak-and-dagger past. He is a former Soviet general and the head of an Estonian émigré organization based in London. Through his investigation, Smiley uncovers some shocking truths that lead to an inevitable showdown with his arch-nemesis, the soviet spymaster known as Karla, portrayed by Michael Sarne in the original film.

In the original movie, Karla evades capture, playing Smiley for a fool by luring agents to his website to divulge British secrets, so he can take them back to Moscow. So, when Smiley takes his rightful place at the head of Control at the film’s conclusion, audiences are left to wonder if he will ever get even with Karla. It has all the makings of one of the best spy movies.

In the book, a soviet defector named Maria is told by a mysterious soviet agent named Kursky that her daughter, trapped behind the Iron Curtain, may be permitted to join her in London. She applies for an exit permit for her daughter but hears nothing and decides to write to Smiley’s agent, Vladimir, about it. Vladimir, realizing this is one of Karla’s ploys, attempts to contact the Circus to warn them, but they will not listen. He insists on speaking to George Smiley, his old handler, but they refuse to cooperate again. Vladimir is then assassinated by Karla. The Circus decides to cover everything to avoid a scandal and pull Smiley out of retirement to set things right.

In an attempt to capture him, Smiley resorts to using Karla’s methods, a strategy that sickens him. At the conclusion of the book, Karla defects at the border crossing between East and Western Berlin. While waiting for the authorities to collect him, he lights a cigarette and passes by Smiley. He drops a gold lighter onto the ground. The lighter was a gift to George Smiley from his wife, Ann, which Karla stole from George some twenty years earlier. This only adds insult to the injury he caused during the events of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy. Smiley leaves the lighter where Karla dropped it — horrified about what he had to do to capture Karla. A twenty-year-old game of cat and mouse comes to an end. Smiley has won, but at what cost?

A TV reboot with a story featuring the plot of Smiley’s People would provide the opportunity for longer storytelling, and there certainly is a lot of story to be told thanks John le Carré. While many would love to see Gary Oldman reprise the role, it is perhaps unlikely with his commitments to a different streaming spy series, Slow Horses. Whatever the case, the beloved spy film still has a lot of story to tell, even with an uncertain future.

Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is available to rent or purchase on Amazon Prime.

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