Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors. You need to create a unique and original spin on the popular subgenre.Ī logline is the expression of the intriguing concept you've conjured, answering the question of who, what, when, where, how, and why.Ī hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. That's not going to be enough to sell the script on spec. You can't simply create your own Bond, Bourne, or Hunt, give them a new name or gender and pass them off as your own.

It's not enough to tell your version of those types of spy thrillers. If you're not hired to write the latest James Bond, Jason Bourne, or Ethan Hunt blockbuster, you have to do your best to find a killer logline that will force Hollywood decision-makers to take notice. Screenwriters can mix and match these keys to apply to their spy thriller scripts, depending on the genre they are blending it with. While there are many obvious variances of what makes a great spy thriller - due primarily to the popular subgenre that is often blended with other genres - here we feature seven essential elements to great contemporary spy thriller scripts, inspired by Graeme Shimmin's Writing Spy Fiction with an Unputdownable Plot blog post.

Smith), slow-burn thrillers ( Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Syriana, The Third Man), compelling television series ( Homeland, 24, Jack Ryan), and so many more. We've had spy thrillers based on true stories ( Bridge of Spies and Argo), slapstick comedies ( Spy, the Austin Powers Trilogy, Top Secret!), action comedies ( True Lies, Mr. What does it take to write a great spy thriller?įrom the James Bond franchise to every Mission Impossible installment - and everything around and in between - the spy thriller has long been one of the most intriguing genres in film and television.

What is a spy agent