‘Top Boy’ Prequel ‘Jonny Boy’ Starring Barry Keoghan Ordered at Netflix

Netflix has ordered a “Top Boy” prequel series starring Barry Keoghan, Variety has confirmed. The five-episode series is titled “Jonny Boy” and will follow the character Keoghan played in the fifth and final season of the hit drama series. Production is slated to begin in 2027. In the original show, Jonny is a powerful member of the Irish mob in London, serving as a soldier and drug distributor for his uncle, Tadgh McGee (Brian Gleeson). “Top Boy” creator Ronan Bennett will write and executive produce “Jonny Boy” via Easter Partisan Films, with Keoghan also executive producing under his Wolfcub production banner in addition to starring. Des Byrne of Wolfcub also executive produces, along with Aubrey Graham (aka Drake) and Adel “Future” Nur for DreamCrew Entertainment, Maverick Carter and Jamal Henderson for SpringHill Studios, and Ali Abbasi. Abbasi will also direct. Cowboy Films is also producing. Popular on Variety Keoghan has established himself as one of the most in-demand actors working today. He received an Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nomination for his work in “The Banshees of Inisherin,” winning the BAFTA. He is also known for starring in films like “Saltburn,” “Calm with Horses,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” and “Dunkirk.” His role in “Jonny Boy” also keeps him in business with Netflix, as he recently starred in the film “Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.” Next up, he will play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’ four-part biopic series on The Beatles. In TV, aside from “Top Boy,” Keoghan has starred in shows like “Chernobyl” and “Masters of the Air.” He is repped by CAA, B-Side Management, Entertainment 360, and Sloane Offer. “Top Boy” focused on the lives of two drug dealers growing up in the fictional Summerhouse estate in the London borough of Hackney. The show originally debuted on Channel 4 in 2011, airing for two seasons before it was canceled. Following interest from Drake, Netflix announced they were reviving the series. It debuted its third season on the streamer in 2019, with the fifth and final season airing in 2023. Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson led the cast throughout its run. Additional cast members included Benedict Wong, Nicholas Pinnock, Malcolm Kamulete, Giacomo Mancini, Shone Romulus, Jasmine Jobson, and Simbi Ajikawo. The Hollywood Reporter first broke the “Jonny Boy” news.