Last King of the Cross

Last updated

Last King of the Cross
Based onLast King of the Cross
by John Ibrahim
Starring Lincoln Younes
Composer Antony Partos
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producerMark Fennessy
Producers
  • Karl Zwicky
  • Mark Fennessy
  • Alexander Pettaras
  • Alexandra Doering
CinematographyBruce Young
Editors
  • Nicole La Macchia
  • James Manche
  • Stafford Jackson Wales
  • Mark Perry
Running time44–62 minutes
Production companyHelium Pictures
Original release
Network Paramount+
Release17 February 2023 (2023-02-17) 
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]

Contents

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

Recurring

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

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 10February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)April 14, 2023 (2023-04-14)
2 8August 30, 2024 (2024-08-30)October 11, 2024 (2024-10-11)

Series 1

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
11"Episode 1" raymo Kieran Darcy-SmithFebruary 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)
22"Episode 2"Kieran Darcy-SmithKieran Darcy-SmithFebruary 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)
33"Episode 3"Catherine Millar Morgan O'Neill February 24, 2023 (2023-02-24)
44"Episode 4"Catherine MillarJane AllenMarch 3, 2023 (2023-03-03)
55"Episode 5"Grant BrownAlastair Newton BrownMarch 10, 2023 (2023-03-10)
66"Episode 6"Grant Brown Matt Nable March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17)
77"Episode 7"Ian WatsonJames PopeMarch 24, 2023 (2023-03-24)
88"Episode 8"Ian WatsonMorgan O'NeillMarch 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)
99"Episode 9"Grant Brown & Kieran Darcy-SmithKieran Darcy-SmithApril 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
1010"Episode 10"Grant Brown & Kieran Darcy-SmithMorgan O’NeillApril 14, 2023 (2023-04-14)

Series 2

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
111"Episode 1"Grant Brown Sam Meikle August 30, 2024 (2024-08-30)
122"Episode 2"Grant BrownFin EdquistAugust 30, 2024 (2024-08-30)
133"Episode 3"Grant BrownSarah SmithSeptember 6, 2024 (2024-09-06)
144"Episode 4"Ian WatsonTim PyeSeptember 13, 2024 (2024-09-13)
155"Episode 5"Ian WatsonJames PopeSeptember 20, 2024 (2024-09-20)
166"Episode 6"Ian WatsonSam MeikleSeptember 27, 2024 (2024-09-27)
177"Episode 7"Tori GarrettJane AllenOctober 4, 2024 (2024-10-04)
188"Episode 8"Tori GarrettFin EdquistOctober 11, 2024 (2024-10-11)

Reception

The first season of the show became the most-watched Australian series on Paramount+. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Dimitriades</span> Australian actor (born 1973)

Alex Dimitriades is an Australian television, film and stage actor of Greek descent. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film The Heartbreak Kid and as Nick Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off Heartbreak High. He won critical acclaim for his role as Ari, a troubled second generation Greek Australian in Head On (1998). He won the Film Critics Circle of Australia award for Best Actor for the role and was nominated nominated for the AFI Award for Best Actor. In 2012, he won the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor for his role in The Slap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kings Cross, New South Wales</span> Place in New South Wales, Australia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ditch Davey</span> Australian actor

Kristian "Ditch" Davey is an Australian actor known for his role as Evan Jones in the Seven Network's Blue Heelers from 2001 to 2006, and for playing the lead role of Julius Caesar in Netflix Season 2: Master of Rome Roman Empire in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susie Porter</span> Australian actress

Susie Porter is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film Idiot Box, before rising to prominence in films including Paradise Road (1997), Welcome to Woop Woop (1997), Two Hands (1999), Better Than Sex (2000), The Monkey's Mask (2000), Mullet (2001), Teesh and Trude (2002), and The Caterpillar Wish (2006). Porter is also highly recognised for her roles in television series, most notably, as Patricia Wright in East West 101, Eve Pritchard in East of Everything, as Kay Parker in Sisters of War, and as Marie Winter in the prison drama, Wentworth.

Doris Younane is an Australian stage and screen actress notable for her role in McLeod's Daughters where she played Moira Doyle. She is of Lebanese descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Lasance</span> Australian actor (born 1985)

Todd James Lasance is an Australian actor, best recognised for his roles in Australian television including Aden Jefferies on Home and Away, Cam Jackson on Rescue: Special Ops, Ben McMahon on Crownies and Major Sydney "Syd" Cook on ANZAC Girls. He has also appeared in American television roles, such as Julius Caesar on Spartacus: War of the Damned, Julian on The Vampire Diaries and Edward Clariss / Rival on The Flash. In 2020, he partnered with his Spartacus co-star Liam McIntyre to create the gaming series Get Good for the CouchSoup YouTube channel, following a charity livestream benefiting Black Summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morgan O'Neill</span> Australian writer and director

Morgan O'Neill is an Australian showrunner, executive producer, writer, director and professional musician. Having earned a degree in literature from the University of Sydney, he graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a BA in performing arts (acting) in 1998. Since then he has worked in the entertainment industry, both in Australia and the US, with television roles including Home and Away, All Saints, Water Rats and Sea Patrol. O'Neill also appeared in Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback, Supernova, Little Oberon and the 2012 Netflix movie, The Factory, which he also directed. He directed the ABC TV Show Les Norton. O'Neill worked as a producer on Nine Network's The Block. He is now showrunning NCIS: Sydney,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicole da Silva</span> Australian actress

Nicole da Silva is an Australian actress, best known for her roles as Stella Dagostino in the series Rush (2008–2011), and as Franky Doyle in the show Wentworth. She has made appearances in series such as Carla Cametti PD (2009) and Doctor Doctor (2016–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10 Bold Drama</span> Australian TV channel

10 Bold Drama is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and events, but rebranded to One in April 2011 to more reality, scripted and adventure-based programming aimed at males between the ages of 25 and 54. As of October 2018, the channel now primarily broadcasts dramatic programming aimed towards viewers 40 and older.

Underbelly is an Australian television true crime-drama series which first aired on the Nine Network between 13 February 2008 and 1 September 2013, before being revived on 3 April 2022. Each series is based on real-life events. There have been six full series, with season 7 being a miniseries. A 2014 series titled Fat Tony & Co is a sequel to the first series but is not branded under the Underbelly title.

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.

Justin Rosniak is an Australian television and film actor, best known for his appearances in the television series Packed to the Rafters, Police Rescue, Squinters and Mr Inbetween.

Underbelly: The Golden Mile, the third series of Nine Network's crime drama series Underbelly, originally aired from 11 April to 27 June 2010. It is a thirteen-part series loosely based on real events that stemmed from the mile-long nightclub/red light district in the Sydney suburb of Kings Cross, also known as the "Golden Mile", between 1988 and 1999. It primarily depicts the organized crimes in Kings Cross and the police corruption leading up to the 1995 Wood Royal Commission. It is a prequel to Underbelly, which was about the Melbourne gangland killings, and a sequel to Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities. Among the characters presented are John Ibrahim, Kim Hollingsworth, George Freeman, Lenny McPherson and MP John Hatton. Some of the characters, particularly those of the NSW Police, reprise their roles from A Tale of Two Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Younes</span> Australian actor (born 1992)

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.

<i>Love Child</i> (TV series) Australian tv drama series (2014–2017)

Love Child is an Australian drama television series that follows the lives of staff and residents of the fictional Kings Cross Hospital and Stanton House in Sydney, starting in 1969 and continuing into the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Arnold</span> Australian actor and author

Luke Arnold is an Australian actor and author, who is known for portraying John Silver in the Starz drama series Black Sails (2014–2017) and INXS singer Michael Hutchence in the miniseries INXS: Never Tear Us Apart (2014).

NCIS is a media franchise of American television programs originally created by Donald P. Bellisario and currently broadcast on CBS, all of which deal with military related criminal investigations based on the Naval Criminal Investigative Service of the United States Department of the Navy, which includes the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Tran</span> Vietnamese-Australian actress (born 1985)

Maria Tran is a Vietnamese-Australian actress, martial artist, producer, and director based in between Sydney, Australia & Las Vegas, Nevada. She is known as a trailblazer in developing the martial arts action film genre in Australia via the Asian diaspora communities of Western Sydney through her shorts such as Hit Girls, Gaffa, Enter The Dojo, Operation Kung Flu; her contributions on Australian television; Maximum Choppage and movies outside of Australia; Roger Corman's Fist of the Dragon, Death Mist, Vietnamese action blockbuster Tracer and action movie trilogy Echo 8. Tran stars as "Madame Tien" in the Last King of the Cross TV series on Paramount+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tess Haubrich</span> Australian actress and model

Tess Haubrich is an Australian actress and model who most recently played Heather in the 2022 Netflix sci-fi film Spiderhead.

Deadloch is an Australian black comedy crime mystery television series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 2 June 2023. Created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, the series is set in Deadloch, a fictional town in Tasmania, and stars Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Alicia Gardiner, and Nina Oyama. Deadloch was produced by Amazon Studios. The series was renewed for a second season in July 2024.

References

  1. "Production underway on Last King of the Cross | TV Tonight".
  2. "LAST KING OF THE CROSS (2022) - The Screen Guide". Screen Australia . Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  3. Ramachandran, Naman (23 June 2023). "Paramount+ Greenlights Season 2 of Crime Drama 'Last King of The Cross' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  4. Knox, David (24 October 2023). "2024 Upfronts: 10 / Paramount+". TV Tonight . Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  5. 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.
  6. "Lincoln Younes Set as Star of Paramount Plus Australian Series 'Last King of the Cross'". 16 March 2022.
  7. 1 2 Last King of The Cross becomes most-watched Australian series on Paramount+ Media Week. 27 February 2023
  8. 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
  9. 1 2 ‘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