THE CAST FOR the upcoming Netflix “epic” on the Guinness family has been announced and production of the new series has started.

Streaming platform Netflix said the eight-episode series called ‘House of Guinness’ draws upon the “epic story inspired by one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties – The Guinness Family”.

Set in 19^th century Dublin and New York, House of Guinness will explore the consequences of the death of Benjamin Guinness, the second son of Arthur Guinness, who expanded the brewery.

It will also delve into the “far-reaching impact” his death has on his four children, as well as on a group of Dublin characters who work and interact with the ever-growing Guinness empire.

House of Guinness created and written by Steven Knight, the man behind BBC series Peaky Blinders.

Knight is also the co-creator of ITV’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

He said he is “thrilled that we have such an exceptional cast and such an exceptional team to tell this story inspired by an exceptional family”.

Cast Announcement for the upcoming eight-part Netflix series House of Guinness.

The cast features an array of Irish talent, including Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson who rose to fame for his role as Joffrey Baratheon in the HBO series.

Fellow Game of Thrones alumni Michael McElhatton is also among the cast, as is Seamus O’Hara – he starred in the short film ‘An Irish Goodbye’, which won an Oscar last year for Best Live Action Short Film.

Normal People’s Fionn O’Shea meanwhile stars as Benjamin Guinness, while Anthony Boyle is cast as Arthur Guinness.

Irish actress Dervla Kirwan, fresh from a turn in True Detective, also has a role as Aunt Agnes Guinness, while Kin’s Danielle Galligan is cast as Lady Olivia Hedges.

Hilda Fay, Niamh McCormack, and David Wilmot round out the Irish talent on the cast.

James Norton is also featured among the cast, while Louis Partridge plays the role of Edward Guinness, and Emily Fairn is cast as Anne Plunkett (née Guinness).

Anne Mensah, Netflix Vice President of UK Content said: We are thrilled to be embarking on this epic and wondrous journey with our partners at Kudos. Steve

Knight’s scripts read like pages torn out of a classic novel, spinning the story of the four heirs to the Guinness fortune, and how their lives and loves are changed by it overnight. We cannot wait to see this story come to life through Tom Shankland’s inspired vision and his breathtaking cast.”

Anne Mensah, Netflix’s vice president of UK content said it is sure to be an “epic and wondrous journey”.

She added that Knight’s scripts “read like pages torn out of a classic novel, spinning the story of the four heirs to the Guinness fortune, and how their lives and loves are changed by it overnight”.

Mensah previously remarked that House of Guinness has “all the power of Peaky Blinders but the scale and the sweep of a true family saga”.