A new Netflix series about the Guinness family is in the works

Set in 19th-century Dublin and New York, the story will reimagine the period immediately after the death of Sir Benjamin Guinness, the man responsible for the extraordinary success of the Guinness brewery, and the far-reaching impact of his will on the fate of his four adult children – Arthur, Edward, Anne, and Ben – as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the phenomenon that is Guinness.

Created by Steven Knight, a co-creator of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, he has written novels, numerous screenplays and directed three feature-length films – Hummingbird, Locke and Serenity. He’s also the writer/creator of Peaky Blinders amongst other things. 

Speaking of the new project, Anne Mensah, Netflix Vice President of UK Content said, “Steven Knight’s scripts read like pages torn out of a classic novel, spinning the story of the four heirs to the Guinness fortune, and how their lives and loves are changed by it overnight. We cannot wait to see this story come to life through Tom Shankland’s inspired vision and his breathtaking cast.”

Here’s what else we know about the project so far: 

Cast

While few details about the series are known, we do have the cast list – and it’s pretty impressive. Anthony Boyle (Masters of the Air, Manhunt) will play Arthur Guinness, Louis Partridge (Pistol, Enola Holmes) will play Edward Guinness, Emily Fairn (The Responder S1& S2, Black Mirror: Demon 79) will play Anne Plunket (nee Guinness) and Fionn O’Shea (Normal People, Dance First) will play Benjamin Guinness. 

Other actors involved in the project include James Norton, Niamh McCormack, Seamus O’Hara, Jack Gleeson, Dervla Kirwan, Michael McElhatton, Danielle Galligan, David Wilmot and Hilda Fay.

According to Knight, he is “thrilled” to have such an “exceptional” team and cast on board to tell this story. 

Release date

The bad news is that the project is only in the very early stages of filming, so it won’t be coming to Netflix anytime soon. All good things take time though as the saying goes.

Imagery courtesy of Netflix