| Last King of the Cross | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Last King of the Cross by John Ibrahim |
| Starring | Lincoln Younes |
| Composer | Antony Partos |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Mark Fennessy |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Bruce Young |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 44–62 minutes |
| Production company | Helium Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | Paramount+ |
| Release | 17 February 2023 – present |
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]
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]
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]
| 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 |
| 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 |
The first season of the show became the most-watched Australian series on Paramount+. [7]
Kings Cross is an inner-eastern locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and Darlinghurst.
Tina Bursill is an Australian actress. She played Louise Carter on the television series Skyways (1979–1981) and Sonia Stevens on Prisoner (1983–1984). She played Meryl Knight in the Nine Network drama series Doctor Doctor. Bursill won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1987 film Jilted.
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Christopher Stollery is an Australian actor of stage and screen, filmmaker, and playwright. He is known for his roles in the 1990s TV series State Coroner and The Flying Doctors, and more recently as Inspector Dick Kemp in the drama series Last King of the Cross. He also has many stage credits, having had a 15-year association with the Bell Shakespeare Company in Sydney, and has made several short films.
John Houssam Ibrahim is a former Kings Cross nightclub owner in Australia. Police allege Ibrahim is a "major organised-crime figure" and was labelled as the "lifeblood of the drugs industry of Kings Cross" during the 1995 Wood royal commission. However, Ibrahim strongly denies this, and has not been convicted of any related crime.
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Lincoln Younes is an Australian actor. He made his debut in an episode of City Homicide in 2009, before playing Romeo Kovac in Showcase drama series Tangle until 2012. He received the ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for the role. From 2011 until 2014, Younes portrayed Casey Braxton in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. After leaving the serial, he went on to appear in two seasons of Love Child as Chris Vesty, as well as the miniseries Hiding. In 2019, Younes played main character Danny Garibaldi in American series Grand Hotel, which was cancelled after one season. He then joined the supporting cast of Doctor Doctor for its fifth and final season in 2021. The following year, Younes starred in After the Verdict, and began portraying John Ibrahim in the Paramount+ miniseries Last King of the Cross.
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