Sexy Beast, the British gangster movie back in 2000 starring Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, was a huge hit and now a Paramount Plus series of the same name plays out as its prequel.
Filmed in Liverpool, the eight-part series Sexy Beast sees Gal Dove and Don Logan, the characters originally played by Winstone and Kingsley, as best friends and small-town thieves living their best lives in 1990s east London. But as we delve deeper into their complicated relationship we see Gal, now played by James McArdle,descend into the madness of the criminal world while struggling to maintain a friendship with Logan (Emun Elliott). And then the pair are offered the chance to work on a high profile heist by Teddy Bass (Stephen Moyer), a rising star in the criminal world. Normal People star Sarah Greene plays Deedee, an adult film star, while Tamsin Greig is Don’s formidable older sister Cecilia.
Taking on roles originally played by Winstone and Kingsley meant that James McArdle and Emun Elliott approached this project with a degree of trepidation, but they were drawn in by the opportunity to get much deeper under the skin of two very complex characters.
"It was important for us to acknowledge those incredible performances - we both realised they were big shoes to fill!" says Elliott. "But at the same time, this is an origin story - how did those men turn out the way they did? What fractured their relationship? The gift of this prequel is that we’re given time to explore that dynamic."
"The film’s an hour and a half, and we’ve got eight hours" adds McArdle. "We’re imagining what these characters would be like in situations we’ve never seen them in before - that’s what was exciting and terrifying about it. Ray Winstone sent me a very gracious “good luck and god bless” text, which was really kind of him - that certainly helped!"
Here’s everything we know so far about the Sexy Beast series on Paramount Plus…
Sexy Beast release date
Sexy Beast is an eight-part series that launches globally on Paramount Plus on Thursday, January 25.
* How to watch Sexy Beast: stream the crime prequel show online or on TV
* Paramount Plus price: cost, deals and content for the streaming service.
* Sign up for Paramount Plus here.
Is there a trailer for Sexy Beast?
Yes there's an official trailer for Sexy Beast the series which is set to the hit 1980s pop song Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Take a look below...
Sexy Beast plot
Sexy Beast the prequel series follows petty thieves Gal Dove and Don Logan a decade before we see them in the original movie. This time, they are living in east London during the vibrant yet volatile 1990s and enjoying their ill-gotten gains making a living as small-time criminals. But when the chance to get involved on a big, but risky, job with powerful gangster Teddy Bass (True Blood’s Stephen Moyer) comes along, their lives are irrevocably transformed.
Gal and Don are best friends but their relationship is complex as Gal becomes seduced by the criminal underworld. He also finds himself falling in love. The series explores the beginning of Gal’s relationship with future wife DeeDee (Bad Sisters’ Sarah Greene), an adult film star with big ambitions who unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in him. Bu she has the potential to ruin his life.
Don, a sociopath with a hair-trigger temper, has his own backstory fleshed out through the introduction of his older sister Cecilia (Friday Night Dinner star Tamsin Greig), a cruel, calculating woman with a powerful hold over him.
Sexy Beast cast — James McArdle on playing Gal Dove
James McArdle plays Gal, a criminal with big aspirations who falls fo adult film star Deedee. He says; "I found it really fun playing the tension between how Gal sees himself and who he actually is. He has his own moral code, and absolutely believes he’s doing the right thing, but as the series progresses and these characters are pushed into the underworld, Gal’s integrity is questioned.
"Gal and DeeDee are the centre of two separate worlds where everyone uses them for their own benefit. As they start to connect, they realise that they don’t need each other, but they want to be with each other. I don’t think either of them has experienced that before - it’s a revelatory relationship, but it’s dangerous as well."
* James McArdle played Deacon Mark Burton in Mare of Easttown, alongside Kate Winslet, and is Niv Lek in Star Wars: Episode VII – the Force Awakens. He’s also been in Mary Queen of Scots, ’71, Ammonite and Private Peaceful as well as the TV series Love & Marriage, Life After Life and Appropriate Adult.
Emun Elliott on playing Don Logan
Emun Elliott plays Gal’s friend and fellow thief, Don, who has a cruel sister Cecilia (Tamsin Greig) .
‘They lost their parents when they were very young, and Cecilia was forced to become a sort of motherly figure for Don,’ explains Emun Elliott, 40. ‘Because she was never really loved, the only way she knew how to bring Don up was through a similar form of abuse, both physical and verbal. Their relationship is complicated, and Don’s loyalty is pulled both ways between Gal and Cecilia.’
* Emun Elliott played Dr Christian King in Paradox, Richie in Threesome, John Moray in The Paradise,and Kenny in Guilt. He's also had roles in Vera, Game of Thrones and Jonathan Creek. He played Brance in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and is about to star in Prime Video drama The Rig and BBC1 drama The Gold.
Who else is starring in Sexy Beast
Sexy Beast has a great cast of well-know actors including True Blood star Stephen Moyer plays gangster Teddy Bass while Normal People and Frank of Ireland star Sarah Green is Deedee, an adult film star. Friday Night Dinner star Tamsin Greig is Cecilia, Don’s stern older sister
Also look out for former EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra, Hollyoaks star David Kennedy, Eliza Bennett (Dynasty), Clea Martin (Hanna), Nicholas Nunn (The Victim), John Dagleish (The Third Day), Robbie Gee (Motherland), Paul Kaye (The Stranger), Lex Shrapnel (Infiniti), Cally Lawrence (Who Is Alice) and Alice Bailey Johnson (This is Going to Hurt) also star.
More about Sexy Beast, the original 2000 movie
The original movie of Sexy Beast was released in 2000 and starred Ben Kingsley as brutal gangster Don Logan. He visits his old friend Gal, a retired safecracker who now lives in Spain, to persuade him to take on one last job. But while Gal is reluctant, Don doesn’t take no for an answer. Ian McShane played gangster boss Teddy Bass while Amanda Redman was actress Deedee Dove. James Fox played Harry.
* Take a look at the movie picture and trailer below...
