Paramount+ Plots Prequel to Classic Movie

Paramount+ is adding another series based on a classic movie to its list of projects. A series inspired by the 2000 British gangster movie Sexy Beast is now in development at the streaming platform. The movie was directed by future Under The Skin filmmaker Jonathan Glazer and earned Ben Kingsley an Oscar nomination.

The project has been in the works for some time. Back in July 2019, Paramount Network gave a straight-to-series order to the Sexy Beast prequel. It seemed like the idea was left for dead until Feb. 15, when Maria Kyriacou, President of ViacomCBS Networks UK and Australia, announced the show would move to Paramount+, reports Deadline. The show will also be available on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Sexy Beast the series will focus on the origins of Gal Dove, Don Logan and Teddy Bass, who were played by Ray Winstone, Kingsley and Ian McShane in the movie, respectively. Dove is a thief seduced by London's crime world, so he begins a relationship with Logan, a vicious gangster. The series will also show how Dove met his future wife, adult film star DeeDee, who was played by Amanda Redman in the film.

Michael Caleo, who worked on The Sopranos, was hired to write and executive produce the show. Chapter One and Viacom International Studios are producing the series instead of Paramount TV Studios and Anonymous Content, which were attached to the show in 2019. Karyn Kusama, who directed Nicole Kidman in Destroyer and helmed the Yellowjackets pilot, was attached to Sexy Beast in 2019, but it is not clear if she is still involved.

Sexy Beast the film was written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto. It begins with Dove as a retired gangster who is forced to take part in a bank job by Logan. After the film debuted at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival, it earned critical acclaim and helped launch Glazer's film directing career. Kingsley earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2002. The film is not available to stream with a subscription as of this writing, but it can be rented on digital platforms.

Alongside the multitude of shows from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan, Paramount+ is working on several projects based on classic movies from the Paramount library. A series based on Fatal Attraction starring Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson is in development. The Offer, a limited series about the making of The Godfather, will premiere on April 28.