Hit series “Gangs of London” is getting a new U.S. home.
The Gareth Evans-created series, which is produced by Pulse Films in association with Sister, will move from WarnerMedia-owned Cinemax to AMC ahead of its autumn debut. U.K. broadcaster Sky Atlantic will remain the European home for the show.
The first season already aired on Sky Atlantic — the home of many co-produced originals and U.S. shows on Comcast-backed pay-TV broadcaster Sky — back in April. Alongside the first season debut on AMC this fall, it will also air on Sky in Germany and Italy this summer.
The move is not altogether unexpected. Cinemax, sister network to HBO, revealed back in January that it was going to move out of the originals space, and that the brand would not be transferred over to the HBO Max platform. Variety understands Pulse Films received HBO and Cinemax’s blessing to move the show over to “Walking Dead” broadcaster AMC, which is perhaps a better spiritual fit for the grisly, cinematic “Gangs of London” anyway. Negotiations are believed have taken a few months.
“Gangs of London” became Sky Atlantic’s second biggest original drama launch ever, behind “Chernobyl.” The seven-day cumulative audience for the opening episode was 2.23 million. Pulse CEO and co-founder Thomas Benski said of the show in an interview with Variety back in April, “This is escapism. ‘Gangs’ exists in a slightly heightened reality — a signature of the filmmakers we work with.”
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Created by Evans (“The Raid” franchise) and Matt Flannery (“Footsteps), “Gangs of London” tells the story of a city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that’s created when the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. Stars include Joe Cole (“Peaky Blinders”), Sope Dirisu (“Humans”), Colm Meaney (“The Banker’), Lucian Msamati (“Kiri”), Michelle Fairley (“Game of Thrones”) Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You”) and Pippa Bennett-Warner (“MatherFatherSon”).
“‘Gangs of London’ is a cinematic thrill ride that set screens ablaze with a stellar cast, elevated drama and epic storylines, and we couldn’t be more excited to raise the pulse of our audiences with this explosive crime series,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC and co-president of AMC Studios.
“Not only is ‘Gangs of London’ Sky’s most binged premiere box-set this year, it’s the biggest original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years,” said Zai Bennett, Sky U.K.’s managing director for content. “It’s dark, dangerous and we are thrilled it is coming back for a second series.”
“The overwhelming reaction and record-breaking success in the U.K. of the first season of “Gangs of London” has been phenomenal, and we are thrilled to continue this epic journey with such riveting characters for season two with our amazing cast, crew and partners,” added Pulse’s Benski. “AMC is the perfect home for our show, and we cannot wait for audiences Stateside to experience series one this autumn.”
Season two was commissioned by Bennett, and Cameron Roach, director of drama at Sky Studios, with Gabriel Silver as executive producer for Sky Studios. Benski and Lucas Ochoa are executive producers for Pulse Films (“The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann “) alongside Jane Featherstone for Sister (“Chernobyl”).
