UK-based distributor Cineflix Rights has taken international rights to Helium’s upcoming John Ibrahim-drama Last King of the Cross.
Commissioned by Paramount+ in Australia, the 10 x 60 series will be one of the first to enter production under producer Mark Fennessy’s new banner.
Written and directed by Kieran Darcy-Smith and based on Ibrahim’s autobiography of the same name, the drama follows John and his brother Sam as they organise the street but lose each other across their ascent to power.
It tracks Ibrahim’s rise from a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects, to the most infamous nightclub mogul in Sydney’s Kings Cross.
Cineflix Rights head of scripted James Durie said the series promised an authentic depiction of gangster life within an iconic location.
“Based around classic themes of family bonds being tested, criminal empire-building, and corruption which echo some of the most successful movies and TV shows of recent years, we believe it has huge potential with international audiences,” he said.
Fennessy said: “John Ibrahim’s story is an incredible tale of the violence and brutality behind the infamous Kings Cross of the 1990s. But the soul and foundation of Last King of The Cross lies within its rich characters and their relationships, and, in particular, two immigrant brothers with a fractured sense of identity, culture and family – who are forced to the limits as they find out that blood is thicker than water, but you can drown in both.
“I am looking forward to working with Cineflix Rights to share this amazing tale with viewers around the world.”