Netflix to release Ché Walker and Arthur Darvill musical

Netflix have bought the rights to the musical Been So Long, based on the play with songs by Ché Walker and Arthur Darvill and directed by Tinge Krishnan (Junkhearts).

Set in Camden, the musical centres around the lives of two protagonists, played by Michaela Coel (Chewing Gum) and Arinzé Kene (The Pass). Coel plays a single mother, who, while on a night out, falls for a troubled man (Kene) and develops a romantic entanglement.

Coel previously worked with Krishnan on Chewing Gum – the second of which was released on Netflix earlier this year. The supporting cast will include Joe Dempsie (Game Of Thrones), George MacKay (Captain Fantastic), Ronke Adekoluejo (NW), Luke Norris (Poldark) and Ashley Thomas (24: The Legacy).

Been So Long debuted in 2009, featuring Kene, with Darvill leading the four man band in the show. You can read our review here.

The deal is believed to be the largest single acquisition of a UK film by Netflix, in contract brokered when representatives of the streaming service saw pre-release footage at the Cannes Festival earlier this year.

The project was developed by the BFI, and co-financed by Film4 and the BFI with funding from the National Lottery. It is as yet unknown when it will be released to stream.