Danny Boyle’s upcoming series about the rise of the Sex Pistols has had an interesting PR run since it’s announcement in January 2021. With John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) immediately throwing shade at the project and later being sued by his former bandmates for trying to stop the use of Sex Pistols music in the series, it’s fair to say that the project got off to a turbulent start. But then what else would you expect from a series focusing on the punk kings of chaos?
The series is based on founding guitarist Steve Jones’s book Lonely Boy and follows him and the rest of the band’s rise to notoriety and prominence in early 1970’s Britain. The series is set to premier on Disney plus on May 31st 2022 and features rising star Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Toby Wallace as Steve Jones, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, and Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams as Pamela Rooke.
The series enjoyed it’s global premier on the red carpet at Leicester Square on Monday night, but has received a mixed response from critics in the wake of John Lydon’s scathing criticism. Empire were positive, giving the series 4/5 stars in a recent review, and saying “Danny Boyle’s sensibilities come out in full force for this serrated slice of music history. The performances vary in strength — but the collective scrappy energy of the ensemble under the director’s guidance is undeniable.“. Whilst The Telegraph gave it 2/5 stars, explaining that it simply didn’t manage to balance the multiple tones and themes that run throughout the story “It’s caught between the very different dynamics of an in-your-face punk assault on TV convention, an accurate historical account of a moment in pop history or an winkingly entertaining showbiz comedy about how to make it in the music business. Pistol comes on fully loaded but ends up firing blanks.”
Much like the band and their marmite touch, “Pistol” will inevitably not be everyone’s cup of tea. But with Danny Boyle publicly inviting John Lydon’s criticism in a recent interview with The Guardian, saying “I think that’s his absolute right. Why would you change the habit of a lifetime?” I suspect that the critical reception of the series will not matter as much as the viewership it’s likely to amass. The pull of the iconic band is undeniable and likely to result in heavy footfall wherever their legend wanders. Given that one of the band’s main strengths was always drawing attention and controversy, I doubt Boyle has anything to worry about, as “Pistol” is already providing that in abundance.
