‘This City is Ours’: Sean Bean to Star in New BBC Drama Series!!

Game of Thrones alum Sean Bean has been slated to star in BBC drama series This City is Ours, which will be produced by The Crown’s Left Bank. According to Deadline, Bean will be playing a gang leader in Stephen Butchard’s upcoming gang epic. The series will be set in Liverpool, England, and This City is Ours is reported to currently be a working title. This City is Ours is created by Butchard, known for The Good Mothers, and will be directed by Saul Dibb of The Salisbury Poisonings. The series will follow two friends, Ronnie Phelan and Michael Kavanagh, as their gang slowly disintegrates against their changing personal and professional circumstances.

Bean, a two-time BAFTA winner, will play Ronnnie Phelan, and will be starring alongside an already packed cast. The currently confirmed cast comprises of James Nelson-Joyce as Ronnie’s friend, Michael Kavanagh, Hannah Onslow as Michael’s partner Diana Williams, and Jack McMullen as Jamie, Ronnie’s son. This cast will be joined by Laura Aikman as Rachel Duffy, Kevin Harvey as Bobby Duffy, Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Cheryl Crawford, Mike Noble as Banksey, Bobby Schofield as Bonehead, Darci Shaw as Melissa Phelan, and Stephen Walters as Davy Crawford. Filming is expected to begin this year, with an anticipated release date to land sometime in 2025.

What Do We Know About ‘This City is Ours’ So Far?

The upcoming series was announced on a BBC drama slate featuring 12 titles, including additional Left Bank series Dear England. The show has a budget between $3.2 million and $3.8 million per episode, and is being deficit finance by the owners of Left Bank, Sony. Additional funding and backing for the project comes from the Liverpool Film Office via its Liverpool City Region Production Fund. This City is Ours’s financial strategy matches that of Left Bank, who are hoping to make shows for lower price points. Speaking on the project, BBC Drama boss Lindsay Salt said, “It’s a joy to see cameras rolling on This City is Ours with a glorious cast who have made Stephen Butchard’s sublime scripts even more exciting.”

Left Bank boss and Executive Producer Andy Harries described his excitement towards the project, saying, “Stephen Butchard is a master storyteller, and his scripts are sharp, fast-paced and brilliantly observed. He throws us in at the deep end with fascinating, multi-faceted characters and we have put together a top tier cast to bring them to life. This City is Ours is going to blow the bloody doors off.”

This City is Ours is written by creator Stephen Butchard, with Robbie O’Neill joining for select episodes. The series is being produced by Simon Maloney, of Peaky Blinders and I May Destroy You success. The series will be executively produced by Andy Harries, Rebecca Hodgson and Sian McWilliams for Left Bank. Butchard, director Saul Dibb, and Jo McClellan are executively producing for the BBC. Sony Pictures Television will take on distribution of the series internationally.