In my mind, the British take on spy dramas is consistently better than any of our international counterparts. A new trailer and images for Sir David Hare’s Page Eight have just been released, courtesy of Rope of Silicon, and they’re a prime example of just how good we do things here.

The film debuted back in June at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where Steven got to see and review it, and it will be the closing night film for the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

Written and directed by Hare, Page Eight sees him back behind the camera for the first time in almost a decade and a half, having been focusing on his screenwriting career since then, and earning himself two Oscar nominations in doing so with The Hours and The Reader.

Page Eight also boasts a terrific cast, including Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Felicity Jones, and Ewen Bremner.

“In the film Nighy plays Johnny Worricker, a long-serving M15 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Gambon) dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny’s striking next-door neighbor and political activist Nancy Pierpan (Weisz) seems too good to be true. Set in London and Cambridge, Page Eight is described as a contemporary spy film which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century.”

Though Page Eight has been screened on the festival circuit, it has in fact been filmed for BBC Two, on which it will be broadcast later this year. I think this is definitely something to keep your eyes peeled for; it looks to be TV Licence money very well spent. Without further ado, here is the new trailer, followed by the four new images from the film. As usual, click to enlarge.