Park Chan-wook adapting John le Carré's 'Little Drummer Girl' for BBC/AMC

Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Korean film director Park Chan-wook is to make his television directorial debut with a six-part mini-series based on John le Carré's spy novel The Little Drummer Girl.

The 1970s-set caper reunites Ink Factory, BBC One and AMC, which previously collaborated on the successful le Carre adaptation The Night Manager.

Lady Macbeth actress Florence Pugh will star in the miniseries. Production is to begin in January and the program will eventually air on the BBC in the United Kingdom and AMC in the United States.

"Of le Carré's many masterpieces, the one I love ahead of any other is The Little Drummer Girl," Park Chan-wook said in a statement Thursday. "At the core of this story is an extremely painful, but thrilling, romance. This is what makes the story universal, reaching beyond borders and languages and remaining incredibly current. To adapt such a great work without losing its integrity, it needs the time and depth of a television series, and I am excited at the prospect of seeing how the drumbeats of Florence Pugh, the most energetic young female actor I have seen recently, will resonate with the audience."

"After the tremendous reception by U.S. audiences to The Night Manager, we are thrilled to be working again with The Ink Factory and the BBC on another brilliantly-plotted and deeply emotional John le Carré thriller, The Little Drummer Girl," added David Madden, president of original programming for AMC, Sundance TV and AMC Studios. "Personally speaking, I read the book when it was published in the 1980s, and it's frightening and thought-provoking to recognize how relevant the story still is today. Florence Pugh is a gifted actress who will make a stunning Charlie, and Park is a filmmaker of extraordinary vision whose entry into the world of le Carré-style espionage should be irresistible."

Park's credits include Stoker, Joint Security Area, Thirst, The Handmaiden, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance.