Lincoln Younes will step into the shoes of nightclub mogul John Ibrahim for Helium drama Last King of the Cross, set to begin filming in May for Paramount+.
Inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography of the same name, the 10-part series is an operatic story of two brothers, Sam and John Ibrahim who organise the street but lose each other in their ascent to power.
Kieran Darcy-Smith is the writer and director of the Sydney-based project, which is being produced by Mark Fennessy and Karl Zwicky.
Younes has previously had roles in Home and Away and Grand Hotel, and is also set to feature in upcoming Nine drama After the Verdict and ABC series Barons.
He said it was an honour to have the opportunity to play such a formidable character in a world “where truth is often stranger than fiction”.
“I feel privileged to lead a diverse cast with a Lebanese character at its centre, and I’m excited to bring the world to Sydney’s Kings Cross once more,” he said.
Darcy-Smith said Younes was a “terrific young actor” that would be “taking us all on a wild ride”.
“John Ibrahim is – amongst so many things – an enigma wrapped in a mystery,” he said.
“He is a fascinating and compelling character. An individual. Therefore finding the right person to portray him accurately was paramount. Finding Lincoln was a blessing.”
Last King of The Cross is one of the first projects to enter production under the Helium banner and will be distributed internationally via Cineflix Rights.