New Irish drama ‘Kin’ starring Aidan Gillen and Claire Dunne set for global stage

The brand new eight-part drama series Kin, produced by BRON Studios and Headline Pictures, in association with RTÉ, Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) and Creative Wealth Media with support from Fís Éireann/ Screen Ireland and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), is set for a global stage. It has been announced that international streaming service AMC+ have acquired the rights to the drama for North America, Australia, New Zealand, Iberia, Latin America and the UK. The deal was negotiated by Davoli Davoli on behalf of BRON Releasing. The eagerly anticipated home-grown Irish drama which will be broadcast on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player this autumn, has also been pre-sold in Scandinavia to on-demand service Viaplay.

Kin which is currently filming in Dublin, boasts a stellar Irish and international cast lead by breakthrough Irish actress Clare Dunne (Herself), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Sam Keeley (The Cured), Emmett Scanlan (Peaky Blinders), Maria Doyle Kennedy (Outlander) and newcomer Yasmin Seky.

The series is written and co-created by Peter McKenna (The Last Kingdom, Red Rock) who is also showrunner/executive producer, and co-created by Ciarán Donnelly (Altered Carbon, Vikings).

Kin underlines the unbreakable bonds of blood and family as it charts the lives of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in a gangland war and the consequences of their choices. The series’ local storyline, talented Irish cast and shooting location adds it to the growing ranks of strong and prestigious television series coming out of Ireland. It is directed by Diarmuid Goggins (Bulletproof) and Tessa Hoffe (Wayne).

Jim Jennings, RTÉ’s Director of Content said: “RTÉ is delighted to be working with Bron Studios to bring this quality Irish series to viewers in the autumn. We are also proud that this homegrown drama with a wealth of Irish talent is set for the international stage. It’s an endorsement of the quality of the series from the writing, to the production and acting that AMC, the network that has given us Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead will make Kin a key title in their autumn AMC+ line up. We are delighted to co-produce with international partners such as Bron Studios, along with Irish production company Metropolitan and Screen Ireland, to extend our footprint and finances to ensure that we deliver quality Irish drama for audiences at home and showcase Irish talent internationally.”  

Executive Producer and President of BRON Studios’ Television’s David Davoli said “RTÉ has been an important partner in this venture and have helped guide us in crucial ways, particularly during a global pandemic. We are grateful to have produced this series with some of the best cast and crew that Ireland has to offer and could not have done that without the help of RTÉ and local Irish production company, Metropolitan. We hope that the viewers in Ireland enjoy what BRON and Headline have produced, that we have made an Irish show that is authentic in every way, and that they will be able to watch Kin for many years to come. It’s only fitting that the AMC+ will now carry this show to the international stage.” 

Andrew Byrne Television Project Manager Screen Ireland said: “We are delighted to see quality Irish drama and talent take centre stage once again. We continue to focus our investment in high end tv drama that resonates for audiences locally and globally and builds robust international partnerships for the benefit of the Irish creative screen sector into the future.” 

Executive Producers on the series are BRON Studios’ David Davoli (The Defeated, Bag of Bones), Samantha Thomas (Jessica Jones, Daredevil), Steven Thibault (Pieces of a Woman, Capone) and Aaron L. Gilbert (Bombshell, Joker, Fences), Headline Pictures’ Christian Baute (Man in the High Castle, Funny Games), Laurence Lenica and Frank Calderon, and Donnelly. James Flynn (Vikings, Into the Badlands) and Morgan O’Sullivan (Penny Dreadful, The Tudors) are producing through their Metropolitan Films banner, with Emma Fleischer as supervising producer and Edmund Sampson as line producer. Dermot Horan, David Crean and Shane Murphy are Executive Producers for RTÉ, Andrew Byrne for Screen Ireland and Fredrik Lundjburg, Nanna Mailand and Filippa Wallestam are Executive Producers for NENT Studios.