London: British filmmaker Guy Ritchie returns to the gritty underworld of organized crime with MobLand, a high-stakes television drama featuring a powerhouse cast, including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren. The 10-episode series delves into the intense rivalry between two London crime families, the Harrigans and the Stevensons, with Hardy portraying Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ well-connected fixer.
“I was interested in the traditional genre, so to speak, that it’s gangsters in one family. I haven’t done that before,” Ritchie, who also serves as executive producer, said at the show’s global premiere in London on Thursday.
Following the success of his 2024 Netflix series The Gentlemen, Ritchie continues his exploration of the crime genre in the television format. The filmmaker, known for his distinct style in movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Sherlock Holmes, and Aladdin, shared his enthusiasm for long-form storytelling.
“I quite like that it goes on for a long time, to be fair. I quite like TV, so it’s fun to oscillate between TV and film. I just think one informs the other,” the 56-year-old director remarked.
MobLand boasts an ensemble cast, with Brosnan portraying crime boss Conrad Harrigan and Mirren as his influential wife, Maeve. Brosnan, who was offered the script while filming The Thursday Murder Club alongside Mirren, found the project compelling.
“This is bonkers. I’ve never had something like this happen in life where you work for five months, finish, and then the next night you’re on the red carpet. But that’s the way the world is going—fast,” the 71-year-old actor said, noting that filming had only wrapped the day before the premiere.
Returning to television after his role in The Son, Brosnan embraced the challenge of episodic storytelling. “It keeps you on your feet. And if the writing’s really good and you have people who know how to create an ensemble and create drama, then it’s hard work, but it’s exhilarating,” he said.
The series also marks a fresh creative venture for Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, who collaborated with composer Ilan Eshkeri on the score.
“I’m familiar with scoring, but this was different because of the sheer length of music involved,” Bellamy explained. “Normally a film would be 90 minutes or something, but this is like 10 hours.”
Bellamy described the musical approach as a fusion of contrasting elements. “We were trying to combine this kind of gritty London gangster feel with the more privileged kind of luxury of the Harrigans. We were combining quite industrial electronic music with string quartet music,” he added.
Written by Ronan Bennett and Jez Butterworth, MobLand is set to premiere on Paramount+ on March 30, promising a gripping narrative filled with power struggles, betrayal, and high-stakes drama.
