Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting helmer Danny Boyle is collaborating with FX on a limited series based on the memoirs of Steve Jones, the legendary guitarist from the Sex Pistols who helped usher in a punk revolution in Britain.
Boyle will direct and executive produce the six-part series, which is titled Gun and was created by Moulin Rouge! writer Craig Pearce and is co-written by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Party people 24 hours) Babyteeth actor Toby Wallace stars as Jones, while War of Thrones Star Maisie Williams joined the cast as punk icon Jordan.
Another cast includes Anson Boon (Crawl) like John Lydon, Louis Partridge (Enola Homes) as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel (The snake) like Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn (Derry girls) like Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler (Do not worry, dear) like Chrissie Hynde and Emma Appleton (The magician) like Nancy Spungen.
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Produced by FX Productions, Gun is anchored by Jones’s book, Lonely boy: tales from a sex pistol, which moves from West London’s municipal estates, to the notorious Kings Road SEX store by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, to the international controversy that came with the launch of Nevermind, which has been banned by the BBC and is often listed as one of the most influential albums of all time.
Jones, Boyle and Pearce serve as executive producers alongside Gail Lyon, Anita Camarata, Tracey Seaward, Paul Lee, Hope Hartman and wiip. The series was announced by Nick Grad, president of original programming at FX Entertainment. Production will begin on March 7. Gun represents Boyle’s most recent collaboration with FX after being executive producer and directing three episodes of Trust in.
“It’s great to be back in business with Danny Boyle,” said Grad. “Steve Jones was at the center of the storm that rocked the rock establishment and we are thrilled to have Danny and the rest of the creative team telling his story as a member of one of the most notorious bands in music – the Sex Pistols.”
Boyle added: “Imagine entering the world of The crown and Downton Abbey with your friends and screaming your songs and your fury for everything they stand for. This is the time when British society and culture have changed forever. It is the detonation point of British street culture … where ordinary young people had the stage and vented their fury and fashion … and everyone had to watch and listen … and everyone feared or followed them. The Sex Pistols. At its center was a charming young illiterate kleptomaniac – a hero for the time – Steve Jones, who became, in his own words, the 94th greatest guitarist of all time. That’s how he got there. “
Gun it is also the latest chapter in the creative partnership between Boyle and Peter Rice, chairman of Disney’s general entertainment content board. Their relationship dates back to 1994, when as a Fox acquisitions executive, Rice first saw Boyle’s debut film shallow grave in Cannes. Since then, they have collaborated on projects, including 28 days later and Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire.