FX has ordered a new six-episode drama series which will tell the story of the legendary guitarist Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, an English punk rock band that formed in 1975. The program will be based on Jones’ memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol and will be directed by Danny Boyle.
Pistol will star Toby Wallace as Jones, with Anson Boon as John Lydon, Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel as Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn as Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler as Chrissie Hynde, Emma Appleton as Nancy Spungen, and Maisie Williams as punk icon Jordan.
A premiere date has not been announced but production on the series is expected to begin on March 7th.
FX Orders Six-Episode Limited Series from Academy Award(R) Winning Director Danny Boyle
PISTOL
Pistol Is Based on Sex Pistols’ Guitarist Steve Jones’ Memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol
Series Was Created by Executive Producer/Writer Craig Pearce, Boyle Is Executive Producer and Director, and Executive Produced by wiip
Pistol Stars Toby Wallace, Anson Boon, Louis Partridge, Jacob Slater, Fabien Frankel, Dylan Llewellyn, Maisie Williams, Sydney Chandler and Emma Appleton
LOS ANGELES and LONDON, January 11, 2021 – FX has ordered Pistol, a six-episode limited series about the legendary Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, it was announced today by Nick Grad, President, Original Programming, FX Entertainment.
Based on Jones’ 2018 memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, the series from Academy Award(R)-winner Danny Boyle, who will also serve as Executive Producer and director, was created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Jones, Boyle and Pearce serve as Executive Producers alongside Gail Lyon, Anita Camarata, Tracey Seaward, Paul Lee, Hope Hartman and wiip. Boyle is represented by WME and Sue Rogers of Independent. The series is produced by FX Productions and is set to begin production on March 7.
“It’s great to be back in business with Danny Boyle, an exceptional artist responsible for so many great feature films and TV series,” said Grad. “Steve Jones was at the center of the storm that shook the rock establishment and we’re thrilled to have Danny and the rest of the creative team tell his story as a member of one of music’s most notorious bands – the Sex Pistols.”
“Imagine breaking into the world of The Crown and Downton Abbey with your mates and screaming your songs and your fury at all they represent,” said Boyle. “This is the moment that British society and culture changed forever. It is the detonation point for British street culture…where ordinary young people had the stage and vented their fury and their fashion… and everyone had to watch & listen… and everyone feared them or followed them. The Sex Pistols. At its center was a young charming illiterate kleptomaniac – a hero for the times – Steve Jones, who became in his own words, the 94th greatest guitarist of all time. This is how he got there.”
“The Sex Pistols changed music forever and Danny Boyle is the perfect director to tell Steve Jones’ story fueled by raw creativity and destruction,” said Paul Lee, CEO wiip. “We’re thrilled to be making this with our friends at FX.
Anchored by Jones’ memoir, which offers a fascinating new perspective on one of rock’s greatest ever stories, Pistol moves from West London’s council estates, to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s notorious Kings Road SEX shop, to the international controversy that came with the release of Never Mind the Bollocks, which is frequently listed as one of the most influential albums of all time. Their single “God Save the Queen” was banned by the BBC and reached Number 1 on the UK’s NME chart, but appeared at Number 2 on the Official UK Singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the monarchy.
Pistol stars Toby Wallace (Babyteeth, Acute Misfortune) as Steve Jones, Anson Boon (Crawl, 1917, Blackbird) as John Lydon, Louis Partridge (Enola Homes, Medici) as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel (The Serpent, NYPD Blue) as Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) as Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler (Don’t Worry Darling) as Chrissie Hynde, Emma Appleton (The Witcher, Traitors) as Nancy Spungen, and Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) as punk icon Jordan.
About FX
FX is comprised of the networks FX, FXX and FXM, the video on-demand app FXNOW, and the streaming hub FX on HULU that features exclusive FX series, next day access to current FX and FXX series, and FX Networks’ library of legacy series. FX on Hulu exclusive series include Devs, Mrs. America, A Teacher and the upcoming The Old Man, Y: The Last Man and American Horror Stories. FX, the flagship general entertainment basic cable channel, launched in June of 1994 and is carried in 86 million homes. The diverse schedule features a growing roster of critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit drama series including Pose, Snowfall, Mayans M.C., Taboo and the upcoming Redeemer; the critically-acclaimed limited series American Horror Story, Fargo, American Crime Story, FEUD, Black Narcissus and the upcoming Shōgun and Great Expectations; acclaimed hit comedy series including Atlanta, Better Things, What We Do in the Shadows and Breeders; the half-hour series Mr Inbetween and the Untitled B.J. Novak Project; a slate of docuseries and documentary features, including The New York Times Presents, The Most Dangerous Animal of All, AKA Jane Roe, A Wilderness of Error and the upcoming Hip Hop Uncovered; and the FX Original Movie A Christmas Carol. FX is the former home of the critically-acclaimed and award-winning hit drama series The Shield, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, Damages, Sons of Anarchy, Justified and The Americans. The network’s library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. FXX, the newest network, launched in September 2013 and is carried in 82 million homes. Geared towards a young adult audience, the schedule features original series, movies, and acquired series. The channel is anchored by the acclaimed hit comedies It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Emmy(R) Award-winning comedy series Archer, DAVE and Cake, a weekly showcase of short-form comedy programming. FXX is also the cable home to The Simpsons, the longest-running comedy in TV history. FXM was launched in October of 1994 and is now carried in 57 million homes. Its schedule features classic films during the day (FXM Retro), contemporary box office hits and acclaimed, award-winning films, and short-form award-winning original programming in the evening.
What do you think? Does this new FX series sound interesting? Do you plan to check out the Pistol TV show when it eventually airs?
