Last King of the Cross is an Australian drama television series on Paramount+, which premiered on 17 February 2023. The series is inspired by the autobiography of nightclub owner John Ibrahim and his experiences in Sydney's Kings Cross and Oxford Street. It is produced by Helium Pictures and distributed internationally through Cineflix Rights.[1][2] The second season premiered on 30 August 2024.[3][4][5]
Premise
The series follows John Ibrahim's (Lincoln Younes) journey from early poverty amid a Lebanese immigrant family to later success.[6] Despite a lack of prospects, he becomes a nightclub mogul of Sydney's Kings Cross, known as much for entertainment as for crime and vice.[7]
Once established in King's Cross, Ibrahim sets his sights on 1990s Oxford Street in Sydney.[8]
Cast
Main
- Lincoln Younes as John Ibrahim
- Claude Jabbour as Sam Ibrahim
- Tim Roth as Ezra Shipman (season 1)
- Callan Mulvey as Detective Sergeant Brian Crellan (season 1)
- Matt Nable as Anthony 'Big Tony' Stone
- Uli Latukefu as Tongan Sam (recurring season 1; season 2)
- Naveen Andrews as Ray Kinnock (season 2)
- Luke Arnold as Dean Taylor (season 2)
Recurring
- Christopher Stollery as Inspector Doug Kemp
- Kevin Khan as Anh Tien
- Tess Haubrich as Detective Liz Doyle
- Maria Tran as Madame Tien
- Hoa Xuande as Romeo
- Damian Walshe-Howling as Joey Romano
- Wesley Patten as Brett
- Jake Ryan as Gibbo
- Josh Kempen as Clarence
- Ethan Lamb-Kelly as a teenage Dave Campbell
- Tony Nikolakopoulos as Fat George
- Setareh Naghoni as Wahiba Ibrahim
- Simon Elrahi as Peter 'PK' Kay
- Robert Rabiah as Jamour Ibrahim
- Justin Rosniak as Declan Mooney
- Wadih Dona as Nasa Kalouri
- Allegra Monk as Molly Lewellyn
- Malek Alkoni as teenage John Ibrahim
- Brandon Nguyen as Bui Doi Kid #2
- Daniel Widdowson as Clarkey
- Joseph Frangie as Angelo Lombardi
- Buffy Anne Littaua as Diane
- Rob Carlton as The Fixer
Guests
- Russell Dykstra as Bartuccio
Production
Filming of the first season began in 2022, with strict Covid-19 protocols in place. A car park in Western Sydney was converted to recreate the Kings Cross area. The team had to film amid torrential rain, amid the 2022 New South Wales floods.[9]
Ian McShane had originally been cast as Ezra Shipman, but had to withdraw citing health reasons. The role was recast with Tim Roth.[9]
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 10 | February 17, 2023 | April 14, 2023 | |
| 2 | 8 | August 30, 2024 | October 11, 2024 | |
Series 1 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | raymo | Kieran Darcy-Smith | February 17, 2023 |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Kieran Darcy-Smith | February 17, 2023 |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Catherine Millar | Morgan O'Neill | February 24, 2023 |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Catherine Millar | Jane Allen | March 3, 2023 |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Grant Brown | Alastair Newton Brown | March 10, 2023 |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Grant Brown | Matt Nable | March 17, 2023 |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Ian Watson | James Pope | March 24, 2023 |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Ian Watson | Morgan O'Neill | March 31, 2023 |
| 9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | Grant Brown & Kieran Darcy-Smith | Kieran Darcy-Smith | April 7, 2023 |
| 10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | Grant Brown & Kieran Darcy-Smith | Morgan O’Neill | April 14, 2023 |
Series 2 (2024)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Grant Brown | Sam Meikle | August 30, 2024 |
| 12 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Grant Brown | Fin Edquist | August 30, 2024 |
| 13 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Grant Brown | Sarah Smith | September 6, 2024 |
| 14 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Ian Watson | Tim Pye | September 13, 2024 |
| 15 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Ian Watson | James Pope | September 20, 2024 |
| 16 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Ian Watson | Sam Meikle | September 27, 2024 |
| 17 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Tori Garrett | Jane Allen | October 4, 2024 |
| 18 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Tori Garrett | Fin Edquist | October 11, 2024 |
Reception
The first season of the show became the most-watched Australian series on Paramount+.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Production underway on Last King of the Cross | TV Tonight".
- ^ "LAST KING OF THE CROSS (2022) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (23 June 2023). "Paramount+ Greenlights Season 2 of Crime Drama 'Last King of The Cross' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ^ Knox, David (24 October 2023). "2024 Upfronts: 10 / Paramount+". TV Tonight. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Tia (13 August 2024). "Last King of The Cross season two's release date has been revealed". Now to Love. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Lincoln Younes Set as Star of Paramount Plus Australian Series 'Last King of the Cross'". 16 March 2022.
- ^ a b Last King of The Cross becomes most-watched Australian series on Paramount+ Media Week. 27 February 2023
- ^ With new territory to conquer, Sydney’s nightclub supremo branches out in season two of ‘Last King of the Cross’ TV Week. 26 August 2024
- ^ a b ‘Godfather’-esque Crime Thriller ‘Last King Of The Cross’ Is Proving That Australian TV Drama Is So Much More Than ‘Neighbours’ Deadline. 21 March 2023
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