Could 'Slow Horses' Be Gary Oldman's Last Project?
No one does spy TV quite like the British, and the Apple TV+ hit Slow Horses is no exception. Based on the Slough House book series by mystery novelist Mick Herron, the series follows a group of rejected MI5 agents led by the curmudgeonly Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman). Lamb and his crew work at Slough House, a (fictional) MI5 branch where agents are sent to do admin work after messing up their careers. Despite the supposed drudgery, they still end up investigating quite a few situations that threaten England’s national security.
Slow Horses isn’t quite as well known as say, The Morning Show, but it was a big enough hit for Apple TV+ that the streamer renewed it for Seasons 3 and 4 in June 2022—before Season 2 had even premiered. Oldman, for his part, is on board for as many seasons as his bosses will let him have. “It’s up to all the big people upstairs and the audience,” he told Deadline in April 2022. “But, yeah, I could see myself playing Jackson for the next how many years, yeah. Absolutely.”
He would also be fine with having Lamb be his final role before retirement, which he’s starting to see as inevitable now that he’s in his mid-60s. “To be able to sort of wrap it all up playing Jackson Lamb, I would consider myself very honored and very lucky to be able to do that. I would never say never,” he added. “There’s always something that may come in, and you know, get the taste buds going but I’d be thrilled and honored to play him for the foreseeable future.”
Keep reading for more info on Season 3 of Slow Horses.
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What is Slow Horses Season 3 about?
After foiling two major threats in Seasons 1 and 2, the agents of Slough House will spend Season 3 trying to protect one of their own. Light spoilers ahead: Jackson Lamb and the gang will spring into action to locate their missing colleague Catherine Standish while also trying to stop a rogue agent.
Which Mick Herron book is Slow Horses Season 3 based on?
So far, each season of Slow Horses has corresponded in order with Mick Herron’s Slough House novels. Season 3 is set to be adapted from the third book in the series, Real Tigers, which came out in 2016.
Is there a trailer for Slow Horses Season 3?
Apple TV+ released a short teaser for Slow Horses Season 3 in December 2022. Plot details are thin, but the clip shows River Cartwright sporting a bloody face and Jackson Lamb wielding a scary-looking knife.
Who is in the Slow Horses Season 3 cast?
Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb
AppleTV+
Gary Oldman will return as disgruntled spy Jackson Lamb, the chief of Slough House. The prolific actor was most recently seen as former president Harry S. Truman in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Since winning an Oscar in 2018 for his role as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, Oldman has appeared in The Laundromat, Mank and The Woman in the Window.
Kristin Scott Thomas as Diana Taverner
AppleTV+
Kristin Scott Thomas will be back as Diana Taverner, general director of MI5. Before Slow Horses, she starred alongside Oldman in Darkest Hour as Churchill’s wife, Clementine. Her other numerous credits include Fleabag, Suite Française, The Invisible Woman and the 2020 remake of Rebecca.
Jack Lowden as River Cartwright
AppleTV+
Jack Lowden is set to reprise his role as Slough House recruit River Cartwright. After starring in War & Peace and Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, Lowden is set to star in crime drama The Gold. (The series already aired in the U.K. but will debut in the U.S. on Paramount+ in September.)
Saskia Reeves as Catherine Standish
AppleTV+
Saskia Reeves plays Catherine Standish, Jackson Lamb’s assistant. A British TV mainstay, Reeves has previously starred in Belgravia, Midsomer Murders, Wolf Hall and Wallander.
Rosalind Eleazar as Louisa Guy
AppleTV+
Rosalind Eleazar is expected to return as Louisa Guy, another member of the Slough House team. Eleazar, an accomplished stage actress, made her feature film debut in 2019’s The Personal History of David Copperfield. Earlier in 2023, she starred in the FX on Hulu miniseries Class of ’09.
Jonathan Pryce as David Cartwright
AppleTV+
Jonathan Pryce, who plays River’s grandfather, will likely be back in Season 3. In 2020, he earned an Oscar nomination for his role opposite Anthony Hopkins in The Two Popes. Since 2022, he has played Prince Philip on The Crown. He is also set to appear in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of Cixin Liu’s The Three-Body Problem.
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (Sean Donovan)
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù will join the Slow Horses cast in Season 3 as Sean Donovan, the former head of security at the British embassy in Istanbul. Dìrísù has played Elliot Finch on Gangs of London since 2020. In 2022, he starred as the titular character in the romantic period drama Mr. Malcolm’s List.
Sophie Okonedo, Freddie Fox, Aimée-Ffion Edwards, Kadiff Kirwan and Christopher Chung are all expected to reprise their roles as well. Newcomers Hugo Weaving, Ruth Bradley, Tom Brooke and James Callis have all signed on for Season 4, which was filmed back-to-back with Season 3, so it’s possible they could make appearances as well.
How many episodes are in Slow Horses Season 3?
No official announcements have been made, but Slow Horses Season 3 is likely to follow the pattern of the first two seasons, which consisted of six episodes each.
What is the Slow Horses Season 3 release date?
Apple TV+ hasn’t yet announced a release date for Season 3 of Slow Horses, but some reports have suggested it could arrive by late 2023 as filming has already been completed. As a British project, the show’s production isn’t affected by the WGA or SAG-AFTRA strikes. Because other shows are still delayed, though, Apple TV+ could decide to push the Slow Horses release date back in order to spread out its original content.
How to watch Slow Horses Season 3
Slow Horses Season 3 will premiere via Apple TV+. For the first two seasons, the streamer dropped the first two episodes at once with subsequent installments released weekly.
Will Slow Horses Season 3 come to Hulu?
Slow Horses season 3 is an Apple TV+ original, so it is not likely to stream via Hulu.
Will Slow Horses Season 3 come to Netflix?
Because Slow Horses is an Apple TV+ original, it won’t be available to stream via Netflix.
