The cast of acclaimed drama The Full Monty have reunited to start work on a sequel miniseries, which will pick up with the original characters in modern-day Sheffield.
Released in 1997, the film followed a group of unemployed men who decide to put on a striptease show in order to raise some sorely needed cash for themselves and their community.
Pledging to go ‘the full monty’ – ie, strip all the way down to completely nude – the endeavour is ultimately a success, while forcing the men to confront some sensitive issues in their own lives.
The Full Monty was acclaimed upon release, scoring major nominations at the BAFTAs and Academy Awards, with the film’s writer Simon Beaufoy and producer Uberto Pasolini returning to shepherd this follow-up to the small screen.
Among the cast members confirmed to be returning are Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting) as Gaz, Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) as Dave, Lesley Sharp (Scott and Bailey) as Jean, Hugo Speer (Britannia) as Guy and Paul Barber (The Dumping Ground) as Horse.
The eight-part limited series, which will stream on Disney Plus in the UK and Hulu in the US, also features Steve Huison (The Royle Family) as Lomper, Wim Snape (Gentleman Jack) as Nathan and Tom Wilkinson (Belgravia) as Gerald.
Simon Beaufoy said: “We’re chuffed to bits to get all the Monty Men back together again – now with a chaotic entourage of children, grandchildren, pets and assorted hangers-on – to see what life in Sheffield is like 25 years on.”
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Lee Mason, Director of Scripted Content EMEA at Disney, added: “Twenty-five years ago Simon introduced us to a group of funny, fearless and resilient unemployed working-class men from Sheffield and the world fell in love with them.
“We’re delighted to reunite the original cast for this brand-new series on Disney Plus to catch up with these iconic characters and what they’ve been up to since we last saw them on stage in all their glory, and we can’t wait to introduce a host of exciting new faces and characters.”
Alice Nutter (Trust) will co-write the show with Beaufoy, while Andrew Chaplin (Alma’s Not Normal) and Catherine Morshead (No Offence) have been tapped to direct.
The series started filming today on location in Sheffield and Manchester, but no premiere date has been set just yet.
The Full Monty is available to stream on Disney Plus – sign up to Disney+ for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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