Irish actors Barry Keoghan and Brian Gleeson a 'menacing duo' in Top Boy finale

British crime drama Top Boy is set to return for its star-studded final season in September, this time featuring Irish actors Barry Keoghan and Brian Gleeson.

Dublin-born Barry Keoghan has become one of Ireland's most recognised talents, having received international acclaim for his swiftly growing filmography. He starred in Christopher Nolan's 2017 war epic Dunkirk and also appeared in Chernobyl (2019), The Green Knight (2021) and Marvel's Eternals (2021). Most recently, he received an Academy Award nomination for his role in 2022's The Banshees of Inisherin, alongside his Irish costars Colin Farrell and the father of his Top Boy costar, Brendan Gleeson.

Barry Keoghan in Top Boy S3. Credit Netflix

According to Belfast-based screenwriter Ronan Bennett, Keoghan had been a fan of Top Boy and reached out to ask if he could take part in it. Said Bennett, "I know Barry knocks on doors when there’s a project he is passionate about, and I was only too happy to open this one. Barry brings intensity and authenticity to everything he does and we were delighted when he came on board."

Bennett then began the search for an actor to "hold his own" alongside Keoghan as his partner in crime. "In Brian Gleeson we found that and much, much more. He is a remarkable actor, and, as audiences will see, together he and Barry make a very menacing duo."

Brian Gleeson hails from a prolifically talented family, his father Brendan Gleeson one of the most renowned Irish talents out there and his brother, Domhnall Gleeson, seeing a similarly fruitful career. Brian has made a name for himself in television and received acclaim for his roles in Love/Hate, Peaky Blinders and Bad Sisters.

Netflix's Top Boy premiered in 2011, and revolves around the "raw, dangerous world of drug dealing and the lives of those who live in the ends." Its final season premieres on Netflix in full on the 7th of September.

Check out the trailer for the final season below!