Netflix’s Baby Reindeer volleyed creator, writer, and star Richard Gadd’s status into the stratosphere, and soon enough, speculation began over what his next project would be, although few details emerged at the time. As it turns out, “Lions” is a working title for a series that has now been picked up by HBO, which will produce and air in conjunction with BBC and BBC Scotland.
That HBO has picked up this series is striking, not only because Gadd was surprised by his success and originally only expected Baby Reindeer to be a mild cult hit at best, but because his approach to triggering subject matter is similar to that of Michaela Coel with I May Destroy You. That series was also produced as a joint HBO-BBC release in 2020 and was a critical and audience hit. The two creatives both share a flair for inserting dark comedy into serious subject matter with an unflinching eye, and HBO’s confidence in Gadd’s new story bodes well for another powerful production.
Of course, Lions will be very different from Baby Reindeer, so let’s talk about what information has surfaced.
Plot
Gadd didn’t waste any time between Baby Reindeer‘s take off and his next phase, which was swiftly greenlit by BBC weeks before HBO officially climbed on board. Lions aims to examine the nature of masculinity as embodied by two estranged brothers (Ruben and Niall) in different eras of their lives. The project was originally envisioned as a six-part drama as reported by Deadline, and an HBO press release confirms that the episode count will stick, and the series will primarily be a drama. Gadd is onboard as writer, creator, and executive producer with HBO Senior VP of Drama Programming Kara Buckley calling this “a gripping and evocative series.”
In the press release, Gadd expressed his excitement to join HBO’s “iconic roster of shows.” He also admitted that “[o]rdering a HBO boxset of The Sopranos, The Wire, or Oz and watching it from start to finish were some of the happiest moments of my childhood.” Here are details from the show’s synopsis, which picks up here after Ruben surfaces out of the blue at Niall’s wedding, and “an explosion of violence” follows. Yes, this sounds as intense as expected from a story penned by Richard Gadd:
Spanning almost forty years from the 1980s to the present day, this ambitious series will cover the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry, and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city – a changing world, even – and try to get to the bottom of the difficult question… What does it mean to be a man?
Cast
Gadd does not plan to star in Lions, and at present, nobody is revealing who might star.
Release Date
HBO has not specified a release window, and production is just getting started this summer, so mid-2025 is likely the earliest that we’ll see a premiere.
Trailer
No footage = no trailer, but Gadd did act in a newly released short film called Truth Serum, which began streaming on Oliveto on June 17. You can watch that trailer below.