Tom Hiddleston Is Coming To American TV

He's dominated the British stage, blockbuster villainy, and art-house vampirism, and now Tom Hiddleston is officially headed to American TV. Don't worry, though, it's still in the most British capacity possible: He'll be starring alongside fellow beloved Brit Hugh Laurie in a novel by British espionage writer John Le Carré. It will air as a miniseries on AMC, and if all goes smoothly, it may be Hiddleston's chance at breaking into the prestige television drama racket that everyone's always raving about.

The project in question will be based off of The Night Manager , and as was the case back when the series was just a rumor, we still don't have confirmation of who will play who. The general assumption at this juncture, however, is that Hiddleston will play Jonathan Pine to Laurie's Richard Onslow Roper. If those character names mean absolutely nothing to you, here's how The Hollywood Reporter laid out the story's set-up:

Published in 1993, le Carre's Night Manager follows Jonathan Pine, a British soldier turned luxurious hotel night auditor. Pine crosses paths with a French-Arab woman named Sophie with ties to Richard Onslow Roper, an English black marketeer who specializes in weapons. The woman provides Pine with incriminating documents, which he forwards to a friend in British intelligence. After Sophie winds up dead, Pine works with intelligence operatives and goes undercover as part of a sting against Roper to avenge Sophie's death.

With a second season of HBO's True Detective underway, it makes sense for AMC to be setting up their own intrigue, especially as they continue to map out their post-Mad Men/post-Breaking Bad identity. Hiddleston's already a big hit with the Tumblr set, but in order to become an established household name across the pond — and perhaps get access to the kind of meetings Benedict Cumberbatch now gets automatic invites to — it's smart of the actor to stick his toes in the American TV pool. Cumberbatch, for reference, has also starred in a Le Carré adaptation: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Who knows, this all may even land Hiddleston an Emmy nom if he plays his cards right.