Two Irish actors join final series of popular Netflix crime drama

Barry Keoghan and Brian Gleeson will join the cast of Top Boy for the show’s third and final series, Netflix has announced.

They will both play new characters in the crime drama, with The Batman star Keoghan to portray Johnny while Peaky Blinders’ Gleeson will feature as Tadgh.

The Irish actors will join the regular cast which includes Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, better known as Kano, and Little Simz, whose real name is Simbi Ajikawo.

Jasmine Jobson, Saffron Hocking and Araloyin Oshunremi will also return for the final series of the hit drama.

The streaming service has also confirmed that production for season three has begun in London.

The first four episodes will be directed by Myriam Raja, who was part of the Top Boy series one mentee program.

Will Stefan Smith will be on directing duties for the final two episodes.

The series, created and written by Ronan Bennett, is set on the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney.

It first aired on Channel 4, starting in 2011, before it was revived by Netflix in 2019 following interest from rapper Drake, who serves as an executive producer on the new incarnation.

The second Netflix series launched earlier this year to show Jamie (played by Michael Ward) getting out of prison and disrupting Dushane’s (Walters’) unrivalled rule of Summerhouse, while Sully (Robinson) emerged from his reclusive life to defend his family.

Walters and Robinson will serve as executive producers, alongside Drake and his business partner Adel “Future” Nur.