Ian McShane Returning To TV To Play Another Epic Villain
Legendary actor Ian McShane is coming back to television to play an intimidating villain, and it seems like the role he was born for.
This article is more than 2 years old
John Wick star, Ian McShane is gearing up to wow fans in another butt-kicking role, this time in series form on Paramount+ Australia. The English-born actor will be standing in front of the cameras opposite Lincoln Younes in the streamer’s production of Last King of The Cross. The show, which is based on the best-selling autobiography of the same name by John Ibrahim, will be a non-stop binger keeping audiences at the edge of their seats.
Last King of The Cross will follow two brothers, Sam and John Ibrahim (Younes), who at a young age, along with their family, escaped the war-devastated country of Tripoli for a more promising life in Australia. However, growing up in Sydney wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be and soon both brothers would find themselves sucked up into the city’s sleazy and grimy underbelly – a place ripe with dangerous experiences and ruthless humans.
The series will center on John as he finds his way from a poor childhood, receiving no formal education and coming from a family completely strapped for cash, to his rise to become one of Australia’s most notable crime lords. Through the nightclub industry at Sydney’s King Cross, John will face his biggest demons and come head to head with his brother in the ultimate push for power. As for Ian McShane, he’ll be joining the production as the original King of The Cross, Ezra Shipman. The series’ main antagonist, it’s no shock to anyone as to how Ezra rose to power. Smart, cunning, and business-centric, the power player has his hands in all things crime-based as he lords over Kings Cross – a position he’s held since the Vietnam War. In what has been a family business for Ezra, who is the third generation to run the crime-ridden scene, the older man is wondering just who he’ll pass the legacy on to. With no children of his own, he’ll need to look beyond the bonds of family for a protege. When he connects with John, a lightbulb goes off. This could be just the person he’s been searching for, but when John proves to be more of a rival than a match, the water may boil over on Ezra’s plans.
Well known in the entertainment biz for over 30 years, Ian McShane landed his breakthrough role as the titular character on BBC’s Lovejoy. Nabbing a leading role in the knockout series, Deadwood, McShane would earn a Golden Globe award and snag a Primetime Emmy nomination for his portrayal of the character Al Swearengen, whom he would reprise in the film that would follow. A huge name in the John Wick franchise, McShane will once again appear as the assassin’s hotel owner, Winston, in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. McShane’s character was such a hit that Lionsgate and Starz are giving him an origin story in limited series form. Although McShane won’t be appearing as the younger version of Winston, that role went to Colin Woodell, it wouldn’t shock us if they brought McShane on to give some perspective. With more villainous roles than we can count, Ian McShane is the perfect casting option for the upcoming series, Last King Of The Cross.
