Top Boy creator reveals he's in talks with Netflix for spin-off
The story might not be over.
Top Boy creator Ronan Bennett has revealed he is "talking to" Netflix about a spin-off to the hit crime drama, which recently concluded after five acclaimed seasons.
The series, which chronicles the lives of drug dealers Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson) on a Hackney estate, had a short-lived run on Channel 4 before finding a new home on the service years later.
The revival was helped in large part by world-famous rapper Drake, a fan of the original series, who boarded the project as an executive producer when it moved to streaming.
According to Bennett, the musician remains attached behind the scenes on this potential spin-off, which would shift focus to the character of Jaq – portrayed by Platform 7 star Jasmine Jobson.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake (via Deadline): "I’ve learned through bitter experience not to talk too much about shows that are in the future. You just never know if they're going to get made.
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"And in fact, most shows that are developed actually don't get made. You can write the script and, for whatever reason, they don't get made. So you end up looking like a bit of a fool for mentioning it. But I have hopes that this will work."
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Nevertheless, Bennett said that Netflix could be "angry" with him for mentioning the project, which is yet to receive a series order, so fans would be wise not to get their hopes up too high until further notice.
Whatever becomes of the proposed Jaq spin-off, Bennett was unambiguous over his belief that there is "more juice to squeeze from Top Boy" – whether in the form of more television, a film or stage production.
He added: "I think that the world of Top Boy, the world that we jointly created, is so rich, it's so deep, and it has that fanatical following that it's something that still has life in it."
Top Boy is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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