By A. James For Daily Mail Australia
Deadwood star Ian McShane has left the cast of Australian mini-series The Last King of the Cross due to health reasons.
McShane, 79, was to play fictional crime boss Ezra Shipman on the show, which is based on the memoirs of Sydney nightclub identity John Ibrahim.
Tim Roth, the English actor best known for starring in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, will replace McShane, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Stepping in: Tim Roth (pictured in September 2021) has replaced Ian McShane in the Ibrahim mini-series after the Deadwood star was forced to withdraw because of ill health
Aussie heart-throb Lincoln Younes stars as Ibrahim in the 10-part series produced by Paramount+, which has already started filming in Sydney.
McShane was unable to travel to Australia because of poor health.
‘It’s unfortunate that Ian is unable to join us, and we wish him a speedy recovery,’ Mark Fennessy, the show’s producer, said.
Fennessy welcomed Roth, 61, to the production, calling him ‘super brilliant’.
First choice: Ian McShane (pictured in September 2019) was originally cast as fictional crime boss Ezra Shipman in the mini-series, based on the memoirs of nightclub owner John Ibrahim
Roth is best known for starring in several films by Quentin Tarantino, including Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Hateful Eight (2015).
In 1995, he scored an Oscar nomination for playing a villain opposite Liam Neeson in the period drama Rob Roy.
Producers of The Last King of the Cross have revealed the young Ibrahim will be played by 10-year-old actor Mason Mansour.
Cult star: Roth is best known for starring in several films by Quentin Tarantino, including Reservoir Dogs (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Hateful Eight (2015)
British actor and singer Malek Alkoni will play the teenage Ibrahim.
Ibrahim was born in Tripoli, Lebanon, and emigrated to Australia in the early ’70s before rising to the top of Sydney’s nightclub scene.
The cast also includes Callan Mulvey (Outlaw King), Damian Walshe-Howling (Underbelly), Tess Haubrich (Alien: Covenant) and Matt Nable (Arrow).
Award-winning writer-director Kieran Darcy-Smith will helm the crime-drama.
Memoir: John Ibrahim is pictured here in Sydney on May 5, 2010
