With Page Eight having recently premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and, then, the big announcement that it would close The Toronto International Film Festival, I really can’t wait for this. Actually, they had me at the cast given that it stars the likes of Bill Nighy, Michael Gambon, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Hughes, Judy Davis and so on. I think Bill Nighy or Michael Gambon could just read the phone book on camera and I’d go see it. But, again, I digress.

A quick synopsis of this contemporary spy thriller, for those that want to play along at home, has Bill Nighy starring as a long-time M15 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron, played by Michael Gambon, dies suddenly, leaving behind an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with his next-door neighbor and political activist Nancy Pierpan, played by Weisz, seems too good to be true. Set in London and Cambridge, Page Eight is a contemporary spy film which addresses intelligence issues and moral dilemmas peculiar to the new century.

Sounds a bit like what Spooks struggled with for 86 episodes over the past 10 seasons to me. While it won’t replace the recently announced departure of Spooks (MI-5), it will help bridge until the S10 conclusion this Fall in the UK and April 2012 in the U.S. Let’s hope for a possible series coming from the Beeb in the future. Hey, one can hope….

FYI, Page Eight will air on PBS as part of the current season of Masterpiece on Sunday, November 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12_564i0i3w