Top Boy, the Royal Television Society’s 2012 award winner for Best Drama Serial, is returning to telly after completing its original run in 2013.
Set in and around a public housing estate in East London, the original Top Boy is a gripping, gritty, two-season drama that follows area locals involved in drug dealing and street gangs. It stars Ashley Walters (Inside Men) as Dushane and Kane Robinson (Tower Block) as Sully — drug dealers and friends turned rivals.
Walters and Robinson reprise their roles for the rebooted Top Boy, as do Shone Romulus (No Shade) as Dris and Ashley Thomas (24: Legacy) as Jermaine. Joining them are Michael Ward (The A List), Lisa Dwan (Trust), Jasmine Jobson (Dark Heart), Kadeem Ramsay (Sex Education), Saffron Hocking (London Kills), Kola Bokinni (Black Mirror), and Hope Ikpoku. Also featuring in the new series are musical artists Simbi ‘Little Simz’ Ajikawo and David Omoregie.
The new episodes pick up as Dushane returns from exile to his home in London to reclaim his throne in the highly lucrative drug market. He teams up with Sully — his spiritual brother, partner, and sometime rival who is also returning to the same streets after his own form of exile, i.e. prison, comes to an end. Awaiting them both is Jamie (Michael Ward), the young, hungry, and ruthless gang leader whose ambitions leave no place for Dushane and Sully.
Said Ashley Walters:
“Top Boy is a raw, real representation of street culture. It explores how these characters came to make the choices they make, and gives the audience a behind-the-scenes look as to what is happening on our streets today. It needs to be talked about and the show doesn’t shy away from giving us the platform to tell our story. We can’t change things if we do not acknowledge it and understand it first. Netflix is the perfect platform for this show, there aren’t many networks who would be brave enough to keep it this real.”
The ten new episodes will be written by series creator Ronan Bennett (Gunpowder) along with Daniel West. Executive producing the new series are the original creative team — Charles Steel and Alasdair Flind (for Cowboy Films), Ronan Bennett (for Easter Partisan) and Yann Demange — as well as multi-faceted entertainer and producer Drake and his business partner Adel ‘Future’ Nur, along with Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill Entertainment. Directing this season are Reinaldo Marcus Green (Monsters and Men), Nia DaCosta (Little Woods), Aneil Karia (Pure), and Brady Hood (Endeavour). The series features original music by Brian Eno and additional music by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante.
Top Boy will premiere as a Netflix Original series in autumn 2019. If you haven’t seen the original, both seasons are currently available on Netflix.
Stay tuned for updates.
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