The award-winning studio A24 is turning its gaze to Liverpool Football Club and developing a TV series focusing on the reign of legendary Reds’ manager Bill Shankly.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of Liverpool’s 1960s with the boom of music and culture, the multi-episodic drama will explore a pivotal period in the club’s history, charting its journey from a team struggling to a global powerhouse with now over 400 million followers across the world, and recognised as one of the most renowned sporting institutions.
Their latest project, which will be produced in association with Box To Box, the premium global sports content studio who were behind the international smash hit Netflix series, Formula 1:Drive to Survive, promises to bring to life the compelling narrative of resilience, ambition, and the undying love for the game that has helped define Liverpool FC.
The series will be filmed in Liverpool and Anfield.
Bill Shankly was LFC boss from 1959 to 1974, taking the Reds from the old second division to three League One titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup. He is widely known to be one of the greatest ever football managers in recent history. His successors, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, were able to build on the winning culture he created, winning seven league titles and four European Cups in the ten seasons after Shankly retired.
The club will support A24 on the series, alongside Karen Gill, Bill Shankly’s grand daughter. They will be on hand to ensure historical accuracy in retelling the story of how Shanks laid the foundations for the success LFC continues to enjoy, right up to the modern day.
Speaking about the project, Karen Gill, said: “I think it’s a wonderful way to share the story of my grandad’s time at LFC. Anybody who knows anything about the club knows what it meant to Bill Shankly. This is going to be a must watch for all Liverpool fans and it’s a privilege to have the chance now to showcase his story to the wider world. I’m looking forward to seeing how this project unfolds and being a part of it.”
Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Enola Holmes, Help) is attached to write the series.
Thorne added: “I’m excited to be telling this incredible story and it’s an honour to be working alongside A24 and Liverpool Football Club. Our goal is to focus not just on the club, but on the city itself — because, and this is one thing Bill Shankly made sure, the club belongs to the city and the city belongs to the club.
“We have a chance with this show to celebrate both a magnificent football club and a magnificent city, whilst being honest about the struggles of the 1960s and 1970s in one of our industrial heartlands. We hope to honour the fans, the city, and the legacy of Liverpool FC in bringing its story to life.”
