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Entertainment

01st Mar 2024

Guy Ritchie teaming up with Top Boy creator on ‘reimagining’ of beloved crime series

Stephen Porzio

The surprise gangster show reboot is set to arrive on screens later this year.

Legendary filmmaker Guy Richie is set to team up with Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett to make The Donovans, a new gangster show loosely based on the US crime drama series Ray Donovan.

Ray Donovan starred Liev Schreiber as the title character, a professional fixer who arranges bribes, payoffs, threats, crime-scene clean-up and other illegal activities to protect his celebrity clients.

While the original show – which ran for seven seasons and a movie – was set in LA and then New York, Bennett and Ritchie’s “reimagining” will change the setting to Europe.

“The new series follows two generations of gangsters, the businesses they run, the complex relationships they weave and the man they call upon to fix their problems,” the plot synopsis reads.

“With the most powerful clients in Europe, The Donovans will see family fortunes and reputations at risk, odd alliances unfold, and betrayal around every corner; and while the family might be London’s most elite fixers today, the nature of their business means there is no guarantee what’s in store tomorrow.”

Ritchie is set to direct and executive produce the new gangster show, while Bennett will also executive produce and write its ten episodes.

“We’re going to deliver a show which provides massive thrills, entertainment and a huge rush of adrenaline for audiences around the world,” said Bennett in a statement.

“At the same time, I’m totally focused on exploring real characters, in body and in soul, and I’m committed to writing stories with deep dramatic impact. We’re going to get under the skin of the criminal underworld, in a way which will show you the bone-deep truths of how they live and how it sometimes will – inevitably – impact on our own lives.”

The Donovans is scheduled to debut on Paramount+ later this year.

Ritchie’s series spin-off of his own movie The Gentlemen, meanwhile, will premiere next week on 7 March on Netflix.