Thanks to Drake, Netflix will bring the gritty world of London’s East End to global screens after ordering a new season of “Top Boy,” the British crime drama that ran for two seasons on Channel 4 in the U.K.
The new 10-part season, to premiere in 2019, picks up where the original show left off. Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson will reprise their roles as Dushane and Sully, respectively, two drug dealers who return to London from exile and prison and team up to try to dominate the trade again. The pair run up against Jamie, a ruthless young gang leader.
The first two seasons were broadcast on Channel 4, ending in 2013. Both are available globally on Netflix.
The new season reunites the original creative team — Charles Steel and Alasdair Flind (Cowboy Films), Ronan Bennett (Easter Partisan) and Yann Demange (“White Boy Rick”) — who will executive produce the series. Entertainer-producer Drake and business partner Adel “Future” Nur, along with Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill Entertainment, have also signed on to executive produce.
Bennett, who wrote the first two seasons and will write the new one, said he was delighted with the planned revival and the collaboration with Netflix.
Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix, agreed. “We couldn’t be more excited for Netflix members around the world and a new generation of fans to discover the authentic, raw and real world of Top Boy,” she said. “Drake came to us several months ago with a passion to help bring this series back to life, and we’re thrilled to support the original creative team to do just that.”
