Save the monarchy and anyone else scared of a little anti-establishment punk music because the infamous punk band The Sex Pistols is getting a revival in the FX Networks series Pistol. Comprised of vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock (who would later be replaced by the notorious Sid Vicious), the Sex Pistols penned singles like “God Save the Queen” and “Anarchy in the U.K.” They were known for their iconoclastic presence and for being at the forefront of the punk movement in not just the UK but all around the world. Inspired by Steve Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol released in 2016, the six-episode series directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle arrives on Hulu on May 31st.
Is There a Trailer for Pistol?
A teaser for the series was released in early April. It features various shots of the band and affiliates calling for various forms of revolution. In the background, a drum roll gets progressively louder, along with the ring of distortion, all leading up to an intense-looking Johnny Rotten (Anson Boon) reciting the thesis of the short clip “One word: Destroy.”
A longer trailer was released in early May. The trailer starts off in a whimsical tone with a female voiceover narrating, "England's terribly boring, nothing ever changes," over scenes of high society, saccharine pop music artists, the Queen, and boring park life. These contrast with the trash heaps of flaming garbage and broken down automobiles that signify the blue-collar reality from which the Sex Pistols emerged. “We’re invisible, we’re pissed off, we’re bored, so maybe that should be our image.”
Dialogue from guitarist Steve Jones (Toby Wallace) highlights the central idea of the trailer when he states in an interview "Actually we're not into music, we're into chaos." The actors do their part in portraying the punk image by donning greasy spiked hair, leather jackets with safety pins, and grabbing their crotches through too-tight leather trousers. The trailer conveys the restless, subversive, high octane, and chaotic aspects of the band's meteoric rise to fame, with thrashing guitars, screaming faces, and punk fashion to match. Danny Boyle’s cinematography in both the teaser and the longer trailer employs an altered footage effect that attempts to capture the film quality of the ’70s, which gives the video as being of the period. The trailer is very interested in portraying the raw, youthful ethos of a band whose mission was to “kick this country awake if it kills us.”
When is Pistol Coming Out?
Pistol premieres on May 31st, 2022. All six episodes in the series will release on the same day. U.S. audiences can tune in on Hulu via FX, while fans in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore can stream using Disney Plus via Star.
Who Is in Pistol?
Pistol sports a cast of fresh young talent, reflecting the youth-led punk culture that the series is depicting. The members of the Sex Pistols will be made up of Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) as Steve Jones, Anson Boon (1917) as Johnny Rotten, Christian Lees (The Phantom of the Open) as Glen Matlock, Louis Partridge (Enola Holmes) as Sid Vicious, and relative newcomer Jacob Slater as Paul Cook. These young actors will be tasked with capturing the energy of the initial band members, which will be a stiff challenge.
Luckily, they will not have to do it alone. They will be accompanied by a range of actors that some may be familiar with. Two of the most prominent names are Game of Thrones alumni, Maisie Williams, as fashion revolutionary, and Sex Pistols affiliate Pamela Rooke AKA Jordan Mooney; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the band's manager and impresario Malcolm MacLaren. Another fantasy drama alum, Emma Appleton, known for her role as Princess Renfri in Netflix’s The Witcher, will play Sid Vicious’ infamous girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Sydney Chandler will also star in the series as Steve Jones' on and off love interest and lead singer of The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde.
What is the Background Behind Pistol?
Pistol is a six-episode series from FX. Although there have been different media about the Pistols, what separates the series is that it is inspired largely by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones’ memoir released in 2016. Titled Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol, The memoir chronicles the early stages of the Sex Pistols, starting with the formation of Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols. The memoir gives an insider perspective on some of the most iconic events in the Sex Pistols timeline, including their relationship with entrepreneur Malcolm MacLaren and fashion trailblazer Vivienne Westwood.
At its helm is series creator Craig Pearce, who co-wrote the screenplays for Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, both known for their visual splendor as well as this summer's Elvis, which will also be directed by Baz Luhrmann. Danny Boyle is directing the series, he may best be known for his work on Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, the latter of which earned him an Acadamy Award for Best Director. Despite working on a broad range of genres, Boyle is known for visually striking visuals, infusing pop culture into his work, and an in-your-face, fast-paced style that should accentuate a series such as Pistol. In a statement upon the series’ announcement, Boyle noted that it will depict:
“the detonation point for British street culture, where ordinary young people had the stage and vented their fury and their fashion…”
What Is Pistol About?
According to the official synopsis:
"Pistol is a six-episode limited series about a rock and roll revolution. The furious, raging storm at the center of this revolution are the Sex Pistols — and at the center of this series is Sex Pistols’ founding member and guitarist, Steve Jones. Jones’ hilarious, emotional and at times heart-breaking journey guides us through a kaleidoscopic telling of three of the most epic, chaotic, and mucus-spattered years in the history of music. Based on Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, this is the story of a band of spotty, noisy, working-class kids with ‘no future, who shook the boring, corrupt Establishment to its core, threatened to bring down the government and changed music and culture forever."