Jeremy Irvine (War Horse, Mamma Mia 2) and Brian J. Smith (Sense8) have been cast as two of the leads of USA Network’s straight-to-series drama Treadstone, an offshoot of Universal’s Bourne franchise, from creator Tim Kring and Universal Cable Productions.

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Written by Kring, Treadstone explores the origin story and present-day actions of a CIA black ops program known as Operation Treadstone — a covert program that uses behavior-modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly superhuman assassins. The first season follows sleeper agents across the globe as they’re mysteriously “awakened” to resume their deadly missions.

Irvive stars as J. Randolph Bentley, a spy dispatched by the CIA to eliminate a key target, but ends up embroiled in an international conspiracy. Smith plays Doug McKenna, an all-American oil-rig worker whose life changes after he discovers long buried truths about himself.

Kring executive produces with Ramin Bahrani, who will direct the pilot episode. Ben Smith and Jeffrey Weiner executive produce on behalf of Captivate and Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas will executive produce for Imperative Entertainment; and Justin Levy will executive produce. Universal Cable Productions is the studio, with Amazon on board as international distributor. Production will begin in 2019.

Irvine co-stars opposite Lily James in Mamma Mia 2. He just wrapped shooting Alice Waddington’s Paradise Hills opposite Emma Roberts and Mila Jovovich. He is repped by UTA, Independent Talent Group and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

Smith recently starred as Chicago police officer Will Gorski in Sense8. Onstage, Smith was recently seen as Chance Wayne in Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth, alongside Marcia Gay Harden at Chichester Festival Theatre in London, and recently reprised the role of The Gentleman Caller in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, on the West End. He is repped by Innovative Artists and Principal Entertainment LA.