Sope Dirisu shares update on second series of crime show Gangs of London

Mon, 29 Mar, 2021 - 13:30

Gangs Of London star Sope Dirisu has revealed the highly anticipated second series of the hit crime show is due to go into production in "the next few months".

The actor, who is nominated for the EE Rising Star Bafta after a breakout year in 2020 with the Sky Atlantic crime drama and Netflix horror film His House, is due to reprise his role as undercover police officer Elliot Finch.

He told the PA news agency: "I am very excited for what they are cooking up in the writers' room for season two.

I've not seen anything that I could possibly share, unfortunately, but what I love about Gangs Of London is how expansive the storytelling is, it's really incorporating very many different aspects of the city and I am hoping we get to see even more little nooks and crannies of London that we weren't expecting. I think that will be the lifeblood of the series, celebrating cultures, celebrating the city, and celebrating the things that people will do in order to protect and provide for their families.

Asked if he had seen any scripts, he said: "I haven't, but we are hoping to go into production in the next few months, Covid permitting, and if everything goes to plan, so I am expecting something soon. I would love for Elliot the same thing I would love for all humanity, and that is peace of mind and happiness, but I don't think that is the trajectory that he is on. I think it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better for him, so I suppose what I would like that is a bit more realistic is a rollercoaster ride, something that he can look back and be like, 'I lived through that, there were a lot of experiences'."

Dirisu was also acclaimed for his role in His House, about a refugee couple who flee war-torn South Sudan, only to find the English town they settle in has an evil lurking beneath the surface.

The film, directed by newcomer Remi Weekes, has been nominated for three Baftas, while Dirisu is nominated for the EE Rising Star award, alongside stars including Saint Maud's Morfydd Clark and Rocks actress Bukky Bakray.

Dirisu said: "I don't think it was ever in our psyche when we were making this film (that it would be nominated for awards).

We were just trying to do our best and tell the story as best we can and giving a voice to people that don't normally have one, and it was Remi's first feature, so it's not like everything went wrong, but it was a real learning process for all of us. So to see the film be as celebrated as it has been is really touching, more than anything else, and it's a great surprise but I'm glad that people think the film deserves it, because we do.

"I thought the nuance and the perspective of the storytelling were really great and then the script had so many layers. I think if you take the gore, the monster spectre out of the script, it's still a harrowing story that is equally as horrifying if you look at it from a mental health perspective.

"The story, the script itself, when I first read it I was like, 'Oh, this is really exciting and I want to be a part of this'."