EXCLUSIVE: It’s the surprise Prime Video UK action breakout of the year, and now This is Birmingham is getting a TV series adaptation.
The pic, made with a minimal budget, peaked at number five on Prime Video UK’s top ten films earlier this week, and creator Kay S. Ubhi told Deadline a TV series adaptation is now in development.
The film, which Ubhi wrote and stars in, is billed as a “visceral crime drama” set in the depths of the UK’s brutal underworld. It follows AK (Ubhi), the inexperienced but ambitious son of a recently imprisoned Birmingham crime boss (Navdeep Monga), who steps up to lead the family business, only to be met by rival gangs determined to take over. The pic also stars the likes of Jerome Richards, Jag Patel and Wayne Nelson.
Michael L. Cowan, the UK film sales and production veteran, was among the producers of the indie pic and is also attached to the TV adaptation, Ubhi told Deadline in an interview today.
“The TV series is currently in development,” he said. “It expands the world of This is Birmingham into a bigger, character-driven crime drama. We’re developing it with Bafta winner Michael L. Cowan, and the next step is bringing together the right production partners to take it into production.”
Ubhi, who self-funded This is Birmingham, said his film had resonated with audiences, stacking up against Hollywood movies in the Prime Video charts, thanks to a “real audience for authentic British crime dramas” and was now being distributed in the U.S. on transactional on-demand platforms.
He also pointed to the hot streak Birmingham, which is often referred to as England’s second city, has been on through the likes of Peaky Blinders and This Town.
“The film offers a fresh unique perspective through its characters, emotional story and, of course, the Birmingham theme,” said Ubhi. “Birmingham already has a lot of intrigue because of its reputation and shows like Peaky Blinders.”
As for funding the pic himself, “It was a huge personal commitment over several years, but I really believed in the story. I wanted to prove that it can be done even in the most unconventional ways.”
As of press time, This is Birmingham is sitting at number ten in the most-watched action movies on Prime Video UK.
