Jude Law has been cast in the lead role of an A24 television series centred on Bill Shankly, the Liverpool FC manager whose time at the club is widely credited with transforming it into one of football's most recognised names. Jack Thorne, the playwright behind the series Adolescence, is handling the writing duties.

Set against the backdrop of the 1960s, the series is expected to trace Liverpool's path from an underperforming club to one that attracted a worldwide following. Descriptions of the project characterise it as a portrayal of Shankly's Liverpool FC legacy rooted in factual grounding rather than myth.

The A24 production anchors itself in verified historical record, whereas Ted Lasso takes an identical structural premise — a coach steering a squad toward a winning outcome — and channels it through a comedic, upbeat sensibility.

When Shankly took the Liverpool FC manager's post in 1959, a period of structural change at the club followed. Supporters point to his role in guiding the team out of the Second Division and argue that the groundwork he put in place shaped the club's fortunes for years afterwards. Three First Division titles, a pair of FA Cup victories, four Charity Shield honours, and the UEFA Cup all came to Liverpool during the period he held the managerial reins.

His influence extended to embedding "You'll Never Walk Alone" into the fabric of matchdays at Anfield, helping turn the terrace song into a fixture of the ground's identity. His tenure extended beyond trophies — the connection he forged between the club and its supporters has endured.

The documentary series will look at how a roster that later drew attention across international football was put together. Tom Werner, who chairs the club, has expressed optimism about the venture. In his view, the project carries the kind of audience appeal that drove The Crown to prominence on Netflix.

Werner framed the project as an exploration of family and relationships, with a football club serving as the lens through which those themes would unfold, noting that a mini-series tracing the arc from Bill Shankly onward could open the door to broader cultural touchstones, including the Beatles. The city of Liverpool during the 1960s carried a distinct creative and cultural momentum, with the Beatles rising toward international prominence throughout that decade — and it is precisely that atmosphere the reference calls to mind.

Karen Gill, Shankly's granddaughter, brings a family dimension to the production through her involvement in the show. Her participation points to the production's intent to weave the family's heritage into the same fabric as the athletic record it documents.

Released under the A24 label, the series enters a marketplace where stories rooted in the personal lives of athletes have drawn consistent audience interest. Historians and supporters have described how Shankly's tenure at Liverpool FC reshaped the club across both the football pitch and the broader life of the city.

Liverpool in the 1960s witnessed the emergence of the Beatles alongside broader shifts in the city's cultural landscape, according to historical accounts of the period. The A24 series draws its narrative weight from Shankly's leadership and the bonds that formed inside the club, positioning it to connect with football audiences and those drawn to character-driven stories rooted in history.

Jude Law's presence as a performer and Jack Thorne's background as a playwright bring a degree of professional weight to the project, though how that shapes the final result remains to be seen. Three forces converge around this production — A24's track record in unconventional storytelling, Thorne's writing work that has drawn critical attention, and Law's standing in the industry — lending it a profile that stands out within sports television.

The move extends A24's push into television, drawing on well-known talent to back projects that reach beyond its established film work. Those who follow Liverpool will find in the programme a window into how the club's present-day character took shape. Viewers with no specialist knowledge of the sport stand to encounter an account of a figure whose influence extended well past the playing field and into the broader cultural fabric of the city.