EXCLUSIVE: David Lyons (known for The Beast in Me) and Tobias Menzies (from F1 The Movie) have joined Jennifer Connelly and Ana de Armas in the cast of Safe Houses, an upcoming eight-episode thriller series from Gideon Raff for Apple TV.
The series, drawing inspiration from Dan Fesperman’s espionage novel, centers on the aftermath of a high-ranking CIA officer’s assassination in Madrid. The plot follows Sofia Jiménez (portrayed by De Armas), an agent on the run and accused of the murder, and Ambassador Elizabeth Winters (Connelly), the victim’s widow. Both women embark on separate investigations into the killing, ultimately uncovering an extensive conspiracy that could disrupt the global power equilibrium.
Lyons is cast as Kevin Garvey, a special operations CIA agent, while Menzies takes on the role of Elizabeth’s husband, Clarke Winters.
Safe Houses is a collaborative production between wiip and Apple Studios. Raff will serve as both showrunner and executive producer, and is slated to direct multiple episodes. Otto Bathurst will helm the initial block of the series and also holds an executive producer credit, alongside Alexandra Milchan, and wiip’s Paul Lee and David Flynn. Adam Berkowitz, Mike Seid, Dan Dietz, and Namsi Khan are credited as co-executive producers.
Lyons’ recent work includes starring roles in two Netflix series: Howard Gordon’s The Beast in Me, where he appeared opposite Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, and Season 3 of Shawn Ryan’s The Night Agent. He recently finished filming a recurring part in the Amblin/Netflix limited series All the Sinners Bleed. His representation includes Gersh, Anonymous Content, and United Management.
Menzies, a frequent collaborator with Apple, recognized for his performances in series such as Outlander, The Crown, and Manhunt, recently appeared with Brad Pitt in Apple’s Oscar-nominated film F1 The Movie. His upcoming projects include Ruben Östlund’s A24 feature The Entertainment System Is Down, Searchlight’s Sweetsick opposite Cate Blanchett and Spike Fearn, Will Sharpe’s Apple TV rom-com series Prodigies, and the Channel 4 thriller Maya. He is represented by Conway Van Gelder Grant in the U.K., WME in the U.S., and Cognition.