As the construction team who built 120 metres of Kings Cross in the 80s in a car park out the back of Wet ‘n’ Wild, Alien Proof faced a monster build and a hectic schedule for Paramount’s newest blockbuster, Last King of the Cross. Based on John Ibrahim’s memoir and starring Tim Roth as a crime boss, this production cost an estimated $40 million to make, and has received top billing on Paramount, with much made of the intricate and meticulously crafted set:
The series takes a lot of time to set the scene, showing the intricacies of the criminal activities prevalent in Kings Cross as well as the inherent character of ‘the strip’ itself and its eclectic mix of visitors. While it’s a ‘dramatisation’, we can assume Ibrahim took the time to breathe life into these small details plucked straight from his own memories and experience.
The show takes pride in ensuring accuracy, building a to-scale replica of the strip of nightclubs that once lit up the streets in the 90s, including the iconic Kings Cross Coke sign that was built in 1974 and became known as ‘The Gateway to the Cross.’
mamamia.com.au
Production designer Sam Hobbs offered these insights into the making of the production:
But in a series lifted from a book about a story that’s been told before, this review from ScreenHub is powerful:
Last King of the Cross is here to make audiences feel nostalgic for Australia’s golden age of bribery, bashings and police corruption: Sydney’s King’s Cross in the 80s and 90s. The old Cross may be gone but Ibrahim lives on… (in a series with) an ending where the crime boss stays on top after the world around him crumbles. That’s one for the books.
Screen Hub