Stephen Graham to star in "perilous" boxing drama from Peaky Blinders boss
The Disney Plus original will see Graham play a 19th Century boxer.
Stephen Graham will play a seasoned 19th Century boxer in A Thousand Blows, a Disney Plus original from the hands of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
The pair have collaborated on several series, with Graham appearing alongside Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders' last season and also in Tom Hardy's Taboo, which Knight co-created.
The new 12-part series also has a period angle – it's set in 1880s Victorian London and will follow Hezekiah and Alec, two best friends from Jamaica who find themselves thrust into the city's illegal boxing scene. There they encounter Mary Carr, leader of all-female London gang The Forty Elephants, and seasoned boxing pro Sugar Goodson (Graham).
Hezekiah and Goodson soon become rivals inside and outside of the ring, with Graham's role more on the villainous side.
Ameir Brown, Insook Chappell, Harlan Davies and Yasmin Joseph are also on writing duties, with Tinge Krishnan taking over directing duties.
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Speaking of the new series, Knight said: "I’m really thrilled to be working on this project with Stephen as well as the very talented production team and group of writers. I always love to delve into untold history, and this is a story that really deserves to be told. We are recreating an amazing world and telling a remarkable true story."
Graham, who will also executive produce, added: "To be able to work with Steve again and the talented team of writers we have for this project is truly wonderful, and to tell the story of these incredible characters during this period of time in London is a joy.
"Aside from having the privilege of bringing the role of Sugar Goodson to life, I am also extremely proud that Matriarch [Productions] is co-producing this show whilst helping to create opportunities for people in front of and behind the camera, instilling the ethos of providing training within production that otherwise would be difficult for some to pursue as a career. 'Don't count the days... Make the days count.' - Muhammad Ali."
The project is currently in pre-production, and further casting has yet to be announced.
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