Cassel and Green Star in Apple TV+'s Cyber-Spy Thriller 'Liaison' Amid Brexit Tensions

When Vincent Cassel and Eva Green lock eyes across a rain-slicked London street in the opening scene of 'Liaison'Publicis Cinemas, you don’t just see two actors — you see a relationship buried under layers of betrayal, national secrets, and code. The world premiere of the six-episode Apple TV+ thriller Liaison took place on February 17, 2023, at Paris’s Publicis Cinemas, but the real drama unfolded when the series dropped globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 24, 2023. Each Friday through March 31, viewers were fed another pulse-pounding episode, culminating in a finale that left audiences breathless — and questioning who really pulled the strings.

The Spy Who Loved (and Betrayed) the System

Vincent Cassel plays Gabriel Delage, a former French intelligence operative turned freelance hunter, hired to track down two Syrian hackers who’ve stolen a quantum encryption key capable of collapsing financial systems across Europe. Meanwhile, Eva Green’s Rowdy — private secretary to the UK’s Minister for Security — is scrambling to contain a cascade of cyberattacks that flood London’s subway tunnels and cripple the rail network. What no one knows, not even her bosses, is that Gabriel is her ex-lover. Their breakup wasn’t messy — it was catastrophic. And now, with national security hanging in the balance, they’re forced to work together again.

When Brexit Meets Cyberwarfare

The brilliance of Liaison isn’t just in its cat-and-mouse plot — it’s in how it weaves real-world geopolitics into its DNA. The series was born from a conversation between producers Gub Neal and Jean-Benoît Gillig, who both noticed a pattern: after Brexit, European intelligence agencies had grown more fragmented, communication channels had eroded, and cybercriminals were exploiting the gaps. "We thought it would be fun," Neal says, "to explore two people who had a relationship a long time ago, which gets reawakened at this tumultuous time when the UK is undergoing a divorce from Europe." The metaphor is deliberate. The UK’s isolation isn’t just political — it’s digital. And in Liaison, the hackers aren’t foreign terrorists. They’re insiders. Disgruntled engineers. Former contractors. People who know where the blind spots are because they helped build them.

A Cast That Breathes Life Into Shadows

The supporting cast elevates the tension to operatic levels. Peter Mullan plays a hardened Home Office official who trusts no one — not even his own team. Gérard Lanvin brings quiet menace as a French minister with ties to shadowy defense contractors. And Bukky Bakray, the BAFTA rising star from Rocks, delivers a standout performance as a junior analyst who uncovers a trail of encrypted messages pointing to a mole inside Rowdy’s office. Director Stephen Hopkins — known for his work on 24 — doesn’t just chase suspense. He builds atmosphere. The rain in London isn’t weather. It’s a character. The flickering screens in control rooms? They’re heartbeat monitors. The silence between Cassel and Green when they’re alone? It’s louder than any explosion.

It’s Not Just a Thriller — It’s a Warning

Hopkins calls Liaison "a tragic love story about two very complicated people and a story of espionage based on truth." And he’s not exaggerating. In interviews, he revealed that during production, his team consulted with cybersecurity experts from NATO and Europol. What they learned stunned them: in 2022 alone, European infrastructure faced over 1,200 confirmed cyberattacks targeting power grids, transit systems, and emergency services. Liaison doesn’t invent its threats — it amplifies them. The flooding in London? Based on a 2021 incident in Hamburg, where hackers manipulated drainage controls. The rail sabotage? Mirrors a 2020 attack on Belgium’s rail network that delayed 12,000 trains.

Producer Neal puts it bluntly: "This isn’t fiction. It’s a forecast." And the show’s most chilling moment? When Rowdy realizes the hackers didn’t just want to disrupt — they wanted to expose. The encryption key? It doesn’t unlock systems. It unlocks emails. Personal messages. Secret deals. The kind of secrets that could bring down governments.

What Comes Next?

Apple TV+ has already confirmed Liaison is being evaluated for a second season. With its global rollout on Sbs On Demand in Australia and growing buzz in Europe, the show’s success could pave the way for more transnational thrillers. Meanwhile, the real-world implications linger. In March 2023, the EU launched a new cybersecurity task force — its first since Brexit — citing "unprecedented coordinated threats" from non-state actors. Coincidence? Or confirmation?

Behind the Scenes: The Making of a Modern Classic

Co-produced by Newen Studio-backed Ringside Studios and Leonis Productions, the series was shot across Paris, London, and Brussels over seven months. Cassel, who also served as executive producer, insisted on real locations — no green screens. The scene where Gabriel hacks into a control room from a Parisian café? Filmed in a real internet café in the 10th arrondissement, using actual code snippets provided by cybersecurity consultants. Green, meanwhile, spent weeks shadowing UK government aides to perfect Rowdy’s posture, tone, and the way she handled classified files. "You learn a lot about power," she said, "when you’re told you can’t even write your own name on a notepad without clearance."

With 320 wins and 1,398 award nominations for Apple Originals — including Ted Lasso and CODA — Liaison isn’t just another show. It’s a statement. Apple isn’t just competing with Netflix or HBO. It’s trying to redefine what a thriller can be: intimate, urgent, and terrifyingly plausible.