SKY AND AMC ANNOUNCE SEASON TWO GREENLIGHT OF THE
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED HIT SERIES GANGS OF LONDON
PRODUCED BY PULSE FILMS IN ASSOCIATION
WITH SISTER FOR SKY STUDIOS
MC BOARDS AS CO-PRODUCER FOR SECOND SEASON
SEASON ONE SET TO AIR ON AMC THIS FALL
London – New York – Sky and AMC announced the season two pickup of the hit series Gangs of London produced by Pulse Films in association with SISTER for Sky Studios. AMC is on board as co-producer for season two. Gangs of London’s critically acclaimed first season was a huge success in the UK as it took audiences on an immersive journey into the hidden heart of the capital and became the biggest original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. The 10-episode first season of the action-packed thriller will debut on AMC this fall for US audiences and is also scheduled to air on Sky in Germany and Italy this summer.
Set in the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic and multicultural cities, Gangs of London tells the story of a city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that’s created when the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. The series stars a multi-talented ensemble cast including Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Pure, Black Mirror), Sope Dirisu (Humans), Colm Meaney (Star Trek, Hell on Wheels, Layer Cake), Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials, Black Earth Rising, Kiri), Michelle Fairley (Game of Thrones, Suits) Paapa Essiedu (Press, Kiri) and Pippa Bennett-Warner (MatherFatherSon, Harlots, Sick Note).
For 20 years, Finn Wallace (Meaney) was the most powerful criminal in London. Billions of pounds flowed through his organization each year. But now he’s dead – and nobody knows who ordered the hit. With rivals everywhere, it’s up to the impulsive Sean Wallace (Cole), with the help of the Dumani family headed by Ed Dumani (Msamati), to take his father’s place. If the situation wasn’t already dangerous enough, Sean’s assumption of power causes ripples in the world of international crime. Perhaps the one man who might be able to help him and be his ally is Elliot Finch (Dirisu), who up until now, has been one of life’s losers, a lowlife chancer with a mysterious interest in the Wallace family. But as the wind of fate blows, Elliot finds himself transported to the inner workings of the largest criminal organization in London. It doesn’t end with the Wallaces though, there are shadowy higher powers at play.
“Gangs of London is a cinematic thrill ride that set screens ablaze with a stellar cast, elevated drama and epic storylines, and we couldn’t be more excited to raise the pulse of our audiences with this explosive crime series,” said Dan McDermott, President of Original Programming for AMC and Co-President of AMC Studios. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Sky Studios, Pulse Films and SISTER to continue to push the boundaries on a bold new season of the series.”
“Not only is Gangs of London Sky’s most binged premiere box-set this year, it’s the biggest original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. It’s dark, dangerous and we are thrilled it is coming back for a second series,” said Zai Bennett, Sky UK’s Managing Director of Content. “We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome AMC to our gang for Series two alongside the teams at Pulse Films, SISTER and Sky Studios. Will the Wallace family rise again, will the Dumanis remain loyal to their new allies and who is Elliot really working for? All these questions and more will be waiting for Sky viewers when Gangs of London returns to screens in 2022.”
“The overwhelming reaction and record-breaking success in the UK of the first season of Gangs of London has been phenomenal, and we are thrilled to continue this epic journey with such riveting characters for season two with our amazing cast, crew and partners,” said Thomas Benski, CEO & Founder, Pulse Films. “We look forward to teaming up again with our friends at Sky and to welcoming AMC on board as our US broadcast partner. AMC is the perfect home for our show, and we cannot wait for audiences stateside to experience series one this Autumn.”
Gangs of London is created by visionary award-winning filmmaker of The Raid film franchise Gareth Evans and his creative partner Matt Flannery. Season two was commissioned by Zai Bennett, Sky UK’s Managing Director of Content and Cameron Roach, Director of Drama at Sky Studios, with Gabriel Silver as the Executive Producer for Sky Studios. Thomas Benski and Lucas Ochoa are the executive producers for Pulse Films alongside Jane Featherstone for SISTER.
About AMC
AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy® Award for Outstanding Drama Series with Mad Men in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before Breaking Bad won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series The Walking Dead is the highest-rated series in cable history. AMC’s current original drama series are Better Call Saul, Dispatches from Elsewhere, Fear the Walking Dead, NOS4A2, Quiz, Soulmates, The Terror, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and the recently greenlit 61st Street, Kevin Can F Himself, Pantheon and National Anthem. AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like Talking Dead, AMC Visionaries and Ride with Norman Reedus. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.
About Sky
With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 32,000 employees help connect our customers to the very best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own local, original content. Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, we plan to double our investment in original content by 2024. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone. Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, we believe it is our responsibility to do it safely. That’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service. We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. We recently announced a series of commitments to help tackle racial injustice and improve diversity and inclusion. To ensure the commitments are delivered, Sky will invest £10million per year across its markets for each of the next three years. We’re committed to being Europe’s first net zero carbon entertainment company by 2030 – two decades before we have to – and we’re an inclusive employer recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our commitment to diversity.
About Sky Studios
Sky Studios brings to screen unique stories from the very best talent in Europe. We develop, produce and fund original drama, comedy and documentary for Sky’s 24m customers and beyond, with 52 scripted shows already in production. Building on the success of critically-acclaimed Sky originals including Emmy-winning Chernobyl, Bafta-winning Patrick Melrose and international hits Babylon Berlin and Riviera, Sky Studios is the new creative home of Sky originals, such as The Third Day with Jude Law, ZeroZeroZero from the makers of Gomorrah and The New Pope directed by Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino. We’re an agile Studio, seeking out the best untold stories from new voices while working in creative partnership with today’s best writers, producers and on-screen talent to bring viewers stories they wouldn’t find anywhere else. With commissioning talent and production capability across the UK, Germany and Italy, we understand local tastes across Europe better than anyone else and have plans to more than double our investment in original content by 2024, fully supported and backed by Comcast NBC Universal. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone. Sky Studios invests in the cultural economy and global production sector with equity stakes in nine production companies in the UK and the US, including Great British Bake-Off creator Love Productions, and the premiere reality crime producer in the US, Jupiter Entertainment, creator of long-running hit Snapped. Sky Studios has invested in high quality factual specialists Blast Films and True North Productions; entertainment and format expert Znak & Co (US & UK); natural history producer True to Nature; drama producers The Lighthouse and Longboat; and growth businesses Sugar Films, Chrysalis Vision, and Talos Films (US). Sky Studios launched in June 2019. The senior leadership team is Chief Executive Officer Gary Davey, Chief Commercial Officer Jane Millichip, Chief Finance Officer Caroline Cooper, Director of Drama UK Cameron Roach, Director of Comedy UK Jon Mountague, Director Original Production Sky Italia Nils Hartmann, and Director Original Productions Sky Deutschland Marcus Ammon.
About Pulse Films
Pulse Films is an award-winning, next generation studio encompassing the development, production, financing and distribution of content across all platforms and for audiences worldwide. The studio, founded by Thomas Benski and Marisa Clifford in 2005, is headquartered in London with outposts in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Berlin. Dedicated to creating moments of culture through storytelling, Pulse Films operates globally under the following divisions: Scripted, Non-Fiction and Commercials & Music Videos. In 2019 the studio won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Nature Documentary for its feature doc TROPHY. In 2018 it won two Grierson Awards for documentary KINGDOM OF US. Other notable releases include 2018’s Emmy Nominated NO GREATER LAW for A+E and the London Film Festival hit RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS. Pulse Film was also behind Beyoncé’s Emmy nominated and Peabody Award winning film LEMONADE, and Nick Cave’s BAFTA nominated 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH. The studios stand out TV projects include the global hit THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MADELEINE MCCANN for Netflix, AZIZ ANSARI RIGHT NOW for Netflix, and forthcoming Channel 4 documentary series INSIDE MISSGUIDED. Pulse Films’ new scripted drama series GANGS OF LONDON with Gareth Evans & Matt Flannery for Sky Atlantic recently debuted to rave reviews and record ratings, with ATOMIC BAZAAR from Gregory Burke in development. Other credits include BLACK IS THE NEW BLACK (BBC Two) and ROCK AND ROLL, a 10-part series for Sky. Pulse Films’ feature film credits include forthcoming feature PIG starring Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage, PERFECT directed by Olivia Wilde and Berlin Film Festival audience award winner MOGUL MOWGLI starring Riz Ahmed. The studio was also behind 2018’s SKATE KITCHEN from director Crystal Moselle, Andrea Arnold’s Cannes Jury Prize winner and BAFTA nominated AMERICAN HONEY, and Sundance Award winners THE WITCH and ALL THESE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.
About SISTER
SISTER was co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone to develop, produce and invest in visionary storytellers. SISTER builds upon Featherstone’s Emmy Award-winning scripted indie, SISTER Pictures, as a new global entity with offices in London and LA. It unites the expertise of the founders alongside a team of renowned creatives to make breakout stories for multiple platforms. Adding to the success of a slate of hit shows including Chernobyl (Sky/HBO) and Giri/Haji (BBC/ Netflix), SISTER is currently producing adaptations of Naomi Alderman’s literary phenomenon The Power for Amazon Studios and Adam Kay’s international best seller, This is Going to Hurt for the BBC. Additionally, SISTER is making Landscapers for Sky and HBO in association with South of the River Pictures. This is the first project from the independent scripted production company set up by Olivia Colman, Landscapers screenwriter Ed Sinclair and co-founder, Tom Carver in which SISTER has taken a minority stake. SISTER has also made investments in new creator-led businesses including Campside Media, a podcast studio built around three award-winning journalists, and AWA Studios, a first-of-its-kind comic book and digital media publisher.