Who was James Flynn? Kin tribute explained
The Irish drama pays tribute to one of its crew members in the season 2 premiere.
Irish gangland drama Kin has returned to the BBC for its second outing and once again, the Kinsella family have a hell of a fight on their hands.
Eamon Cunningham (Ciarán Hinds) is no more after Michael (Charlie Cox) shot him dead in the season 1 finale, a plan he cooked up with Amanda (Clare Dunn), who is now holding the purse strings.
But they're not out of the woods yet.
The fearsome Batuk family, who Eamon answered to, have now turned their attention to the Kinsellas – and there's also Michael and Jimmy's dad Brendan (Francis Magee), a bully and a brute who is granted parole in the season 2 premiere.
The opening episode also pays tribute to late crew member James Flynn, writing: "This season is dedicated in loving memory to our dear friend and legendary producer."
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For more information about Flynn, read on.
Who was James Flynn?
Flynn was a well-respected Irish producer. He originally worked for the Investment Bank of Ireland before turning his attention to the arts, becoming head of development at John Boorman's Merlin Films and a business manager for the Irish Film Board.
In 1997, he co-founded Metropolitan Film Productions Limited with his wife Juanita, before setting up Octagon Films in 2002.
Across his career, he contributed to 80 feature films and television dramas. Alongside Kin, his credits include Martin McDonagh's award-winning film The Banshees of Inisherin, Alan Parker's Angela's Ashes, Netflix's Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla, historical dramas The Tudors and The Borgias, romantic drama Becoming Jane, psychological thriller Penny Dreadful, Ridley Scott's The Last Duel, and Love/Hate – another series set in Dublin's criminal underworld.
Flynn's short film The Door also received a nomination for Best Live Action Short Film at the 2010 Oscars. The Secret of Kells, which he executive produced, won the accolade for Best Animated Feature.
Flynn died on 11th February, 2023, of a "short illness". He was 57 years old.
"All of us in Metropolitan Films are deeply saddened by the passing of our esteemed founder, colleague, and great friend, James Flynn, who departed peacefully on Saturday morning with his wife Juanita Wilson and children Alex and Anna by his side," said Metropolitan Films in a statement.
"No words can adequately describe the immense contribution James has made to the Irish film and television industry over three decades on both a national and international level. He willingly and generously gave his advice and guidance to all who sought his counsel, from young emerging filmmakers to established Irish and international industry practitioners."
The Screen Directors Guild of Ireland also shared the following statement on X (formerly known as Twitter): "The Director’s Guild is deeply saddened by the passing of producer James Flynn, a huge loss to the industry and our thoughts are with his family."
Kin seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
