Apple TV+ Spy Thriller Adds Joely Richardson to Dakota Fanning Cast

Joely Richardson is joining an untitled thriller series at Apple TV+, adding to a cast that already includes Stellan Skarsgård and Dakota Fanning in the lead role. The project comes from writer-producer Alex Cary, with Sony Pictures Television producing for Apple’s streaming platform.

The setup leans into familiar spy-romance tension. Fanning plays an undercover Treasury agent who infiltrates a large international conglomerate carrying both political and criminal ties. Her mission starts to unravel when she develops feelings for the man expected to inherit the corrupt empire, a person she comes to believe may actually be decent despite his lineage.

That central conflict, duty versus personal feeling, is the oldest trick in the thriller playbook, but the corporate espionage framing gives it some texture. The conglomerate angle positions this closer to financial crime drama than straightforward action, which fits the kind of prestige-adjacent content Apple has been building its library around. Apple has been ordering projects like this weekly thriller series at a steady clip, with the platform’s release cadence typically rolling episodes out one per week after a premiere.

Behind the camera

Kari Skogland directs and serves as executive producer alongside Cary, who also acts as showrunner. Both Dakota and Elle Fanning are attached as executive producers, which suggests the project has some personal investment beyond a straight acting gig for Dakota.

Richardson’s role is listed as series regular, though the source material does not specify which character she plays or how she connects to the central story. With Skarsgård also in the mix, the supporting cast carries enough weight to signal this is not a low-priority order for Apple.

No premiere date has been announced. The series remains untitled, which at this stage means casting is moving faster than the marketing department.