Acclaimed British actor Ian McShane (Deadwood, John Wick: Chapter 4) will play the lead antagonist, Ezra Shipman, in the highly anticipated Australian original drama series, Last King of The Cross, which will stream exclusively on Paramount+.
Daniel Monaghan, Senior Vice President, Content and Programming, Paramount Australia and New Zealand, said: “We are incredibly thrilled to have an actor of Ian McShane’s calibre and body of work, join our very own rising star Lincoln Younes, to tell this unique and captivating Australian story set amongst one of our country’s most iconic and notorious backdrops.”
Producer and HELIUM Founder, Mark Fennessy, said: “From Winston to Blackbeard, Al Swearengen to Mr Wednesday, Ian McShane’s on-screen characterisations are the epitome of compelling masterpieces, and we cannot wait for the world to meet Ezra Shipman.”
Renowned for his outstanding characterisations of anti-heroes and charming heavies, McShane will bring to life the fictional character of Ezra Shipman – the reigning King of The Cross.
Wily and much-celebrated, Ezra has a gift for all things business, be that the stock market or overseeing the illegal gambling, prostitution, and strip joints that Kings Cross has been famous for since the Vietnam War.
For three generations Ezra has been the most powerful and most feared man in Sydney, but now he is confronting his looming mortality. For all his power and material success, and all he has had to do to maintain it, there is no one to continue his legacy.
Enter John Ibrahim, (Lincoln Younes) an adolescent facsimile of Ezra: young, brash, ambitious, and intelligent. Seeing the opportunity to extend his reign, Ezra takes the young John into his inner circle as his acolyte. But who is exploiting who?
With filming set to commence in Sydney in May, Last King of The Cross is a 10-part serialised drama inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography of the same name. It is an operatic story of two brothers, Sam and John Ibrahim who organise the street but lose each other in their ascent to power.
Last King of The Cross is a HELIUM Pictures production for Paramount+ Australia with Cineflix Rights as the exclusive international distribution partner. Produced by Mark Fennessy and Karl Zwicky, the elevated serialised drama is by multi award-winning writer/director Kieran Darcy-Smith who will also direct.
Mr McShane is represented by ICM Partners, Independent Talent Group, Gallant Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Last King of The Cross will join a host of the world’s best entertainment currently streaming on Paramount+, including HALO, The Gilded Age, Women Of The Movement, 1883, Star Trek: Discovery, We Need To Talk About Cosby, 1883, Dexter: New Blood, Yellowjackets and Five Bedrooms, with The Man Who Fell To Earth, The First Lady, The Offer and Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber streaming soon.
You can stream 20,000 hours of unique stories, iconic stars, live sport and a mountain of entertainment on Paramount+ for $8.99 per month for a monthly subscription or $89.99 for an annual subscription.
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