STARZ SETS LEAD CAST FOR PROPULSIVE NEW CRIME DRAMA "FIGHTLAND" AS PRODUCTION BEGINS IN LONDON
HOWARD CHARLES & NICHOLAS PINNOCK LEAD THE CAST OF THE CURTIS "50 CENT" JACKSON EXECUTIVE PRODUCED SERIES SET IN THE HIGH STAKES WORLD OF BRITISH BOXING
Santa Monica, Calif. - September 18, 2025 - STARZ (NASDAQ: STRZ) revealed today the lead cast of "Fightland," the new high-octane scripted drama set in the cutthroat, high-stakes, cash-rich world of British boxing, which recently commenced production in London. In addition, BAFTA-Award winner Otto Bathurst ("Peaky Blinders," "Black Mirror") has been confirmed as director for the first two episodes, and Sebastain Thiel ("Supacell," "Dreaming Whilst Black") has been confirmed as a director on season one.
Howard Charles ("Top Boy," "Whitstable Pearl") will take on the lead role of "Maduka 'Duke' Kilroy," a former heavyweight world champion who, after a traumatic tragedy, returns home to London to enact revenge.
Nicholas Pinnock (Hedda, For Life) has been cast as Kingsley Marshall, a man with many enemies, he is a Jamaican born, South London bred criminal kingpin with his fingers in the worlds of boxing and gambling.
Deborah Ayorinde (THEM, "Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue") will play the role of "Joy Marshall," Kingsley Marshall's wife who is trying to build her own empire.
Charles Babalola ("The Outlaws," "Black Mirror") has been cast in the role of "Ezekiel 'Zeek' Marshall," the brash and unpredictable son of Kingsley Marshall.
Anita-Joy Uwajeh ("Vampire Academy," "Atlanta") will play "Cebella 'Cece' Marshall," the highly intelligent, business-savvy daughter of Kingsley Marshall, who runs the Marshalls' gambling operation.
Tahirah Sharif ("The Haunting of Bly Manor," "The Tower") will play "Kim Harper," a confident ring card girl entrenched in the London boxing world who befriends Duke upon his return to London.
Tyler Conti ("The Gentleman," "Tell Me Everything") will play "Justin 'Jay' Hall," Duke's best friend whose life has hit the skids in Duke's absence. Duke's return is a chance for Jay to rekindle their friendship, make amends and start anew.
Richard Pepple ("The Hack," "Gangs of London") will play "Gary 'Gazzer' Kilroy," Duke's estranged father who runs a community boxing gym in Streatham, London where he trains amateur fighters.
The series marks another step in the newly independent network's commitment to building an owned-IP-driven slate of premium originals for underrepresented audiences. Executive produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson through his G-Unit Film & Television, the series delivers a gripping story of redemption, betrayal, and brutal ambition in and out of the ring. "Fightland" follows a disgraced, formerly incarcerated boxing champion who returns to London to seek vengeance against the crime family he thinks betrayed him. With edge-of-seat action and populated by dangerous characters, this is a world of money and power never seen before.
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson will executive produce through his G-Unit Film & Television, along with Francis Hopkinson ("Wallander," "Bancroft") and Kate Leadbetter ("Woman in White," "Catherine the Great") of Expanded Media who will also produce. The series also reunites STARZ with Damione Macedon ("Power," "BMF," "Genius: MLK/X") and Raphael Jackson Jr. ("Power," "BMF," "Genius: MLK/X") who will serve as showrunners, executive producers and writers. Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith will serve as executive producers and writers.
About STARZ
STARZ (NASDAQ: STRZ) is the leading premium entertainment destination for women and underrepresented audiences, and home to some of the most popular franchises and series on television. STARZ offers a robust programming mix for discerning adult audiences, including boundary-breaking originals and an expansive lineup of blockbuster movies, and is embodied by its brand positioning "We're All Adults Here." Complementary to any platform or service, STARZ is available across a wide range of digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors and is a bundling partner of choice. STARZ is powered by an industry-leading advanced technology, data analytics and digital infrastructure and the highly rated and first-of-its-kind STARZ app.
About Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has built a thriving television and film career as both a producer and star. In 2005, he founded G-Unit Film & Television Inc., which has produced a wide range of content across multiple platforms and sold numerous shows to major networks.
Among its successes is the critically acclaimed No. 1 show on Starz, Power, in which Jackson not only co-starred but also served as executive producer and director. He has since expanded the Power universe with spinoffs Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force. G-Unit Film & Television also produced ABC's For Life, recently wrapped Season 4 of the hit series Black Mafia Family for Starz, and completed production on Season 2 of the Black Mafia Family docuseries. The company is also developing scripted series including The Massacre and Queen Nzinga for Starz, as well as Trill League for BET+. Recent releases include TikTok Star Murders and The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets for Peacock, both of which drew strong viewership.
At Hulu, G-Unit Film & Television is developing Hip Hop Cop, a continuation of Ron Stallworth's story from BlacKkKlansman. At Netflix, the company is in production on a high-profile Sean Combs documentary. G-Unit also released Hip Hop Homicides on WE tv and is in production on Fightland - its first internationally produced series - for Starz. Expanding into the podcast space, Jackson launched G-Unit Audio, which partnered with iHeartMedia and Lionsgate Sound on Surviving El Chapo: The Twins Who Brought Down a Drug Lord. G-Unit Film & Television is now developing a docuseries based on The Twins podcast for BET+. On the acting side, Jackson will portray Balrog in Legendary Entertainment's upcoming big-screen adaptation of Street Fighter. He is also set to host Fox Nation's upcoming true crime docuseries 50 Ways to Catch a Killer. In 2024, Jackson announced a partnership with Lionsgate to launch the FAST channel 50 Cent Action, which was recently named the No. 1 action channel on Roku and LG Channels' FAST platforms. The free, ad-supported channel features premium content from the studio's library, including the original Power series, along with hit films such as John Wick, The Expendables, The Hitman's Bodyguard and Rambo.
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