Project will tell story of football club’s legendary manager Bill Shankly 

US studio A24 has partnered with Drive to Survive producer Box to Box Films and Jack Thorne on a new drama about legendary Liverpool FC manager Bill Shankly. 

The series, which is in development, will focus on the reign of the hugely successful Shankly, who was the Reds boss from 1959 to 1974.  

He took the then-ailing club from the old Second Division to three First Division league titles, two FA Cups and a UEFA Cup. 

Shankly’s immediate successors, Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, were then able to build on the winning culture he created, adding seven league titles and four European Cups in the 10 seasons after Shankly retired. 

The show is set against the city’s vibrant cultural backdrop of the era, when the music boom led to bands such as the Beatles ensuring Liverpool became a household name around the world. 

The project is being produced in association with Box To Box, which has been behind Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive, along with Shankly’s granddaughter Karen Gill, who will ensure historical accuracy in retelling the story of how the Scot laid the foundations for the success LFC continues to enjoy in the modern day. 

Playwright and screenwriter Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Help) is attached to write the series, which will be filmed around Liverpool and at Anfield, where the club continue to play. 

“I think it’s a wonderful way to share the story of my grandad’s time at LFC,” said Gill. “Anybody who knows anything about the club knows what it meant to Bill Shankly. 

“This is going to be a must-watch for all Liverpool fans and it’s a privilege to have the chance now to showcase his story to the wider world. I’m looking forward to seeing how this project unfolds and being a part of it.” 

Thorne said: “I’m excited to be telling this incredible story and it’s an honour to be working alongside A24 and Liverpool Football Club. Our goal is to focus not just on the club, but on the city itself - because, and this is one thing Shankly made sure, the club belongs to the city and the city belongs to the club. 

“We have a chance with this show to celebrate both a magnificent football club and a magnificent city, whilst being honest about the struggles of the 1960s and 1970s in one of our industrial heartlands. 

“We hope to honour the fans, the city, and the legacy of Liverpool FC in bringing its story to life.”