Slow Horses Prequel Series About Jackson Lamb Gets Candid Response From Creator

Slow Horses showrunner, Will Smith, addresses the possibility of a prequel focused on a young Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman. Lamb, the series' lead, is a complex character with both brilliant and problematic sides. As the leader of the spies who get themselves into Slough House, much of Lamb's backstory isn't explained.

The showrunner told The Wrap that he didn't think "people would want" a prequel about Lamb. Explaining the character's backstory runs the risk of losing "some of the magic," since "the mystery and the enigma" about Lamb is working in the character's favor. However, Mick Herron's The Secret Hours, which delves into Lamb and Molly's story in post-war Berlin, might have changed Smith's mind because it "brings in some Slow Horses in a really fun, tangential way." The showrunner stressed that Oldman would need to reprise his role because "Gary is Lamb." Check out his comment below:

I don’t think people would want that. Early on, Mick and I used to joke about that, and he used to be quite vehemently against it. And for exactly the reasons you say: It’s the fascination with Lamb. There are parallels with other major characters in fiction and film and TV, where they have delved into the background, and it does lose some of the magic. You think, 'I don’t really want the explanation, because I quite like the mystery and the enigma. I like the not-knowing.' And it loses something to explain it. But then Mick has then written a brilliant book called 'The Secret Hours,' where he does go back into post-war Berlin with Lamb and Molly. It’s a fantastic book as it goes between the two timelines. And he brings in some Slow Horses in a really fun, tangential way. So that could be a really interesting one to do. It’s not really a young Lamb, but he’s still the essence of Lamb. But, like you say, it’s tricky. You don’t want to spoil the magic of what the hell happened to him. You just [wonder], 'What made you this way, Lamb?' That’s the question that is on everyone’s mind. And yeah, would it be the wrong thing to answer that? I don’t think you could cast a different actor. You just can’t. Gary is Lamb, that’s it. I’m talking completely out of turn here, it’s not anything that’s happening. But yes, I think Gary is just such a supreme actor. I’d love to see how Gary handled the challenge of playing a de-aged Lamb, which hopefully the technology be there that he could do it, and how he would physically approach that, and how he would think. I’d love to hear that or explore that, but it’s nothing that’s actually happening. I just cannot imagine anyone doing Jackson Lamb with [a younger actor]. You have to go, okay, 'Who’s the young Gary Oldman?' And Gary is Gary is Gary. It’s a really tricky thing to do. It’s a really tall ask that, yeah, it should not be approached lightly."

It Has Some Challenges

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Oldman's performance is an integral part of what makes the Slow Horses lead so intriguing and successful. At the same time, not delving too deep into Jackson Lamb fits the character's burnt-out and detached nature. Smith's comment suggests that the audience might not find a prequel to Lamb interesting. It's possible that if they choose to move forward with the project, there would be very little demand for it. At the same time, a prequel also runs the high risk of ruining the character.

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By adapting a story from The Secret Hours, they may have found a way to avoid this issue. Still, the prequel would run into the challenge of casting a new actor to play young Lamb. On the other hand, using the same actor for the brilliant Jackson Lamb would face technical challenges. While they may have found the perfect story for the prequel, it sounds like there are more issues to address before such a project can become reality.

Our Take On Slow Horses Prequel

Is A Prequel The Best Way To Go?

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A Slow Horses prequel about a young Lamb does lose its appeal at first sight. With the main series already spending a lot of time on the character's life, a prequel seems unnecessary, given that Lamb's backstory can be addressed in the show more efficiently through flashbacks and a story arc. A prequel about the same character doesn't really sound that interesting.

The Secret Hours does explore the character from a different angle and offers very interesting observations on Lamb. Having it as part of the character's story arc is definitely a good idea, and I have to agree with Smith that the events in The Secret Hours shouldn't go to waste, but perhaps instead of a prequel, finding a way to work into future seasons of Slow Horses main series might be a better way to go?

Source: The Wrap