Barry Keoghan gets his own 'Top Boy' prequel

Barry Keoghan is set to return to the Top Boy universe in a new five-episode prequel series titled Jonny Boy, where he'll reprise his role as Jonny McGee.

Netflix also announced a separate spinoff series centered on the character Jaq, with actress Jasmine Jobson returning to the role that earned her a BAFTA nomination.

Top Boy originally aired in the UK before later moving to Netflix, where it continued for several more seasons before concluding its main storyline in 2023. 

Despite the show's ending, creator Ronan Bennett previously shared that he believes there are still more stories worth telling within the show's world.

The new prequel series will explore the origin story of Keoghan's character, a drug distributor working for his uncle within an Irish crime organisation. 

The project was announced during a recent industry event, with Bennett returning as part of the creative team, alongside rapper Drake, serving as an executive producer. Keoghan will also executive produce through his own production company.

In a joint statement, Keoghan and his producing partner expressed excitement about bringing this character's backstory to life, calling it a passion project developed alongside Netflix.

Production on Jonny Boy is set to begin in 2027. Meanwhile, the untitled spinoff series focused on Jaq is also expected to begin filming that same year.

All five seasons of the original Top Boy series are currently available to stream on Netflix.