‘One of the best British directors ever’ officially gets started on new show with Tom Hardy

A well-known filmmaker behind some of the most iconic British films in cinema history has officially started shooting a new series with A-lister Tom Hardy

A new gangster series for Paramount+ is officially in the works with Tom Hardy and an iconic British director at the helm.

Guy Ritchie, the iconic filmmaker behind Snatch, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and, more recently, The Gentlemen and its Netflix spin-off, will direct and executive produce.

According to Deadline, the currently untitled series has now started production in London.

It was previously known as The Associate, and will also feature The Thursday Murder Club’s co-stars Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren as Conrad and Maeve Harrigan, the heads of one of the most powerful organised crime families in London.

Hardy will portray Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ unpredictable fixer who is constantly called in to clean up their problems.

An official synopsis promises a gripping crime drama which follows "two warring families based in London whose enterprises stretch all corners of the globe and the fiercely loyal 'fixer' charged with protecting one of them at all costs.”

The Venom star will also executive produce the series alongside Ritchie, award-wining playwright Jez Butterworth and film producer Kris Thykier, the husband of Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman.

Paramount Global Co-CEO Chris McCarthy said in a statement: “Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren are masters at their craft and we are honoured to have them lead the cast for Guy Ritchie's new global, original series.”

While Ritchie is best known for his feature-length thrillers and blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes and Aladdin, he has recently had huge success in the world of streaming TV.

He produced and directed two episodes of The Gentlemen, the Netflix spin-off series of his 2019 film, which became a huge hit for the streamer and has been renewed for a second season.

Ritchie also has two more films in the works; In the Grey with Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal and Fountain of Youth with John Krasinski and Natalie Portman.

Since starting his film career in the late 1990s, he has become a staple of British cinema and widely considered one of our best contemporary filmmakers.

MovieWeb included him on their list of the 24 best British directors of all time, writing: “[His first two films] were nothing short of iconic, with the former being a hilariously engaging crime comedy that relied on dark humour and impressive lead performances, and the latter repeating these elements with a brand-new setting and the incorporation of more international actors.

“Despite their small differences, both films would dominate the box office, along with dazzling critics from around the world.”

Although they admit his more recent output has been “somewhat imbalanced”, many agreed he was back on track with The Gentlemen and, hopefully, his Hardy-starring thriller will reach the same heights.