Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is giving Taylor Sheridan a run for his money in the “Busiest TV Creative” department by taking on yet another project titled A Thousand Blows.
On track for Disney+, this 12-part period drama starring character actor extraordinaire Stephen Graham explores the illegal boxing scene of Victorian London (circa 1880s); through the lens of best friends Hezekiah and Alec, who arrive from the sunny shores of Jamaica.
“Fighting for survival in the violent melting pot of Victorian London’s East End, they come up against Sugar Goodson — a dangerous, veteran boxer played by Stephen Graham,” explains Melanie Goodfellow of Deadline.
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As you’d expect, this kind of environment is do or die. According to Collider, after being “drawn into the thriving boxing fray,” Hezekiah encounters The Forty Elephants and the notorious all-female gang’s leader Mary Carr. Together, they work towards sharpening Hezekiah’s combat skills, the latter eventually squaring up against Graham’s Sugar Goodson.
In addition to creator and executive producer, Steven Knight will serve as head writer for A Thousand Blows. Stephen Graham, on the other hand, will juggle on-camera duties with his responsibilities as an executive producer alongside Hannah Walters via their joint company Matriarch Productions.
Damian Keogh and Kate Lewis for The Story Collective, plus Tom Miller and Sam Myer for Water & Power Productions have signed on in a similar capacity.
“I’m really thrilled to be working on this project with Stephen [Graham] as well as the very talented production team and group of writers,” said Steven Knight.
“I always love to delve into untold history, and this is a story that really deserves to be told.”
“To be able to work with [Steven Knight] again and the talented team of writers we have for this project is truly wonderful,” added Stephen Graham, who appeared in the sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders as Hayden Stagg.
“To tell the story of these incredible characters during this period of time in London is a joy.”
At this stage, the release date and further casting have yet to be confirmed for A Thousand Blows (keep an eye out for it on Disney+).
Between Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, the feature-length adaptation of Peaky Blinders, his next collaboration with BBC in SAS: Rogue Heroes, and dangling the carrot with Taboo season 2 starring Tom Hardy, Steven Knight is also making time for an Apple TV+ series based on the life of legendary automaker Enzo Ferrari.
Drawing inspiration from the best-selling biography Ferrari Rex by Luca Dal Monte, Apple TV+’s upcoming Ferrari series will unite Steven Knight with Italian director Stefano Sollima (ZeroZeroZero, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Without Remorse) as well as executive producers Paolo Sorrentino (The Young Pope, The New Pope) and Lorenzo Mieli (My Brilliant Friend) — here’s the official synopsis as per The Hollywood Reporter:
Five years. Five drivers. Five deaths. One trial. In the name of passion, in the pursuit of pure speed. At the centre of it all a titanic man — complex and multifaceted — who dedicated his genius to the mission of building the fastest racing car in history. Enzo Ferrari: his name became a boast, an aspiration, and ultimately legend. But there was a trail of tragedy and torment along the way. Between 1956 and 1961, deeply wounded by the tragic death of his firstborn son Dino and by what he considered a betrayal by his lead driver Juan Manuel Fangio, Enzo Ferrari rebuilds his racing team from scratch, selecting five promising rising stars of motor racing to fight for victory.
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“I am thrilled to be telling such an evocative story about this legendary man and his iconic brand,” said Steven Knight via statement.
“Enzo Ferrari’s utterly extraordinary life was defined by his dramatic personal and professional journey, and Ferrari is a celebration of an incredibly complex and fascinating human being.”
“As an Italian, I feel honoured to get to tell this story of Enzo Ferrari, a shining example of Italian excellence,” added Stefano Sollima.
“Through his relationship with Ferrari Spring Team, the five drivers Enzo adopted in his scuderia after the loss of his firstborn son, we will explore the unique qualities, the great genius, and the dark obsession that turned this man into a legend.”
At this stage, no further details about Apple TV+’s Enzo Ferrari series helmed by Steven Knight and Stefano Sollima have been provided.
