Netflix has today announced the casting of Emmy Award nominated and BAFTA winning Hugh Grant in the darkly comic Kaos from BAFTA winning screenwriter and showrunner Charlie Covell (End Of The F***ing World).
Kaos is a bold, darkly comic, contemporary take on Greek mythology, exploring love, power, and life in the underworld. Nothing is sacred in Covell’s bold reinvention of the Greek myths (think tracksuits not togas), except the treachery and arrogance of a bunch of inconstant gods and their cosmic machinations. Some things never change.
Hugh is set to play Zeus the seemingly all-powerful yet desperately insecure King of the Gods. Most recently, Grant received an Emmy Award Nomination for his performance in HBO’s hit thriller series The Undoing and will next be seen in Paramount’s highly anticipated Dungeons and Dragons as well as Guy Ritchie’s Operation Fortune: Ruse De Guerre.
David Thewlis (Landscapars/ Fargo )and Cliff Curtis (Avatar: The Way of Water, Reminiscence) are also confirmed to line up alongside Hugh as Zeus’ brothers Hades and Poseidon respectively. Janet McTeer (Ozark and The Menu), Nabhaan Rizwan (Industry and Station Eleven), Killian Scott (Dublin Murders and '71), Aurora Perrineau (Westworld and When They See Us), Misia Butler (Half Bad, The School For Good And Evil), Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie, Better), Rakie Ayola (Anthony, Alex Rider) and Stanley Townsend (The Current War and Becoming Elizabeth) are amongst the exciting, international line-up of established and new and emerging talent. Billie Piper (I Hate Suzie and Eternal Beauty) is set to join the cast in a cameo role.
Zeus has long enjoyed his status as King of The Gods. That is until he wakes up one morning and discovers a wrinkle on his forehead. Neurosis sets in, setting him off on a dangerous, paranoid path. Zeus becomes convinced his fall is coming – and starts to see signs of it everywhere.
Zeus’ once reliable brother, Hades, God of the Underworld, is secretly losing his grip on his dark dominion. There is a backlog of dead waiting to be processed and they are growing restless. Hera (Janet McTeer), Queen of the Gods, exercises dominion on Earth — and over Zeus — in her own unique way. But her power and freedom become threatened by Zeus’ growing paranoia, and she is forced to act, while Zeus’ rebellious son, Dionysus, (Nabhaan Rizwan), is out of control and on course for a cosmic collision with his father.
On Earth people are aching for change, however Poseidon (Cliff Curtis), God of Sea, Storms and Earthquakes (and Horses) is more concerned with the size of his super-yacht and where the next party is at. The wellbeing of mere mortals is of little interest to him. Unfortunately for the Gods some of those mortals are beginning to realise this…
These mortals – Riddy (Aurora Perrineau), Orpheus (Killian Scott), Caneus (Misia Butler) and Ari (Leila Farzad) - come from different walks of life and are all cosmically connected in the battle against Zeus. Each one has a very different role to play, any one of them may be destined to bring down the Gods.
The eight episode series is created and written by Covell and produced by global content company SISTER (This is Going to Hurt, Landscapers, Chernobyl) and Anthem. Georgi Banks-Davies (I Hate Suzie) boards as lead director and executive producer. Runyararo Mapfumo (Sex Education) directs the second block. Georgia Christou writes episode 6.
Creator, writer, executive producer Charlie Covell “I’m absolutely thrilled to be making KAOS, and I can’t think of a more exciting or dynamic team of people to bring everything to life. Georgi and Runyararo are both visionary directors with pleasingly dark senses of humour — I’m delighted to be working with them both. I believe I'm still in shock at the news that Hugh Grant has agreed to play Zeus — this was my dream. He’s leading a stupendous cast of actors and we’re extremely honoured to have them all on board. I can’t wait for filming to begin.”
Sophie Klein, Netflix, adds “We are delighted to have such a phenomenal cast and team delivering Charlie Covell’s unique, contemporary vision of a mythical world. Joyful and dark, Kaos will entertain, amuse and move you all at once.”
SISTER Co-founder, Chief Creative Office, Executive Producer, Jane Featherstone with Executive Producer and Joint Creative Director of Scripted Chris Fry say: “Ditch everything you think you might know about the Greek myths, because Charlie’s re-imagining of the inner workings of Mount Olympus is completely unexpected and endlessly brilliant. With Hugh Grant as Zeus, King of the Gods, and the hugely talented Georgi Banks-Davies and Runyararo Mapfumo on directorial duties, the mythological world he and his fellow gods inhabit are set to come to life in the most epic of ways and we’re thrilled and privileged to work alongside them and Netflix as they create some Kaos in the world.”
Created, written and executive produced by Charlie Covell for Anthem, Kaos is commissioned by Anne Mensah and Sophie Klein for Netflix, is executive produced by Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, This is Going to Hurt), Chris Fry (Chernobyl, Landscapers), Georgi Banks-Davies (I Hate Suzie), Nina Lederman, series produced by Katie Carpenter (Landscapers, Flowers) and produced by Harry Munday (Landscapers, White Lines) and Michael Eagle-Hodgson (Gangs of London S2) for SISTER. Georgi Banks-Davies boards as lead director and Runyararo Mapfumo (Sex Education) will direct the second block and Georgia Christou writes episode 6.