HELIUM and Cineflix Rights have today announced the casting of rising Australian star Lincoln Younes (Grand Hotel, Tangle, Barons) as the character of John Ibrahim in the elevated serialised drama Last King of The Cross for Paramount+ Australia.
Inspired by John Ibrahim’s best-selling autobiography, Last King of The Cross (10x60) is an operatic story of two brothers, Sam and John Ibrahim who organise the street but lose each other in their ascent to power. The elevated serialised drama tracks John Ibrahim’s rise from a poverty-stricken immigrant with no education, no money, and no prospects, to Australia’s most infamous nightclub mogul in Sydney’s Kings Cross - a mini-Atlantic City, barely half a mile long with every form of criminality on offer.
Mark Fennessy HELIUM Founder and Producer of Last King of The Cross said: “Lincoln was always our front runner to play the character of John Ibrahim and so we are delighted to have him head up our cast.”
Kieran Darcy-Smith, Writer and Director, Last King of The Cross said: “We could not be more thrilled to have Lincoln shouldering our show. He is a terrific young actor and he’ll be taking us all on a wild ride. John Ibrahim is - amongst so many things - an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He is a fascinating and compelling character. An individual. Therefore, finding the right person to portray him accurately was paramount. Finding Lincoln was a blessing.”
Lincoln Younes said: “It is an honour to have the opportunity to play such a formidable character in a world where truth is often stranger than fiction. I feel privileged to lead a diverse cast with a Lebanese character at its centre and I’m excited to bring the world to Sydney’s King Cross once more.”
James Durie, Head of Scripted, Cineflix Rights said: “Lincoln is one of Australia’s hottest new talents, and as the series’ worldwide distributor, we are thrilled to have him play the lead in Last King of The Cross. Mark and Kieran at HELIUM are lining up a fantastic show which will have enormous international appeal.”
Lincoln Younes is one of Australia’s leading actors, and recently completed filming the highly anticipated ABC drama Barons and crime thriller After The Verdict for Channel Nine. In 2019, Lincoln starred as Danny in Grand Hotel for ABC US, before being cast in the coveted role of Benjamin in the television adaptation of The Lost Boys for The CW, which ceased production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First appearing on Australian television screens in the role of Romeo Kovac in the celebrated Foxtel series Tangle, Lincoln received the 2013 ASTRA Award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for his performance.
With filming commencing in Sydney mid-year, Last King of The Cross (10x60) is a HELIUM Pictures production for Paramount+ Australia with Cineflix Rights as the exclusive international distribution partner. Produced by Mark Fennessy and Karl Zwicky, the elevated serialised drama is by multi award-winning writer/director Kieran Darcy-Smith (Wolf Creek, The Duel), who will also direct.