50 Cent’s G-Unit Production Company Expanded To The UK With ‘Fightland,’ And Here’s Why This Global Expansion Matters

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has taken his television production company international. Through his G-Unit Film & Television banner, Jackson executive produced Fightland, an eight-episode boxing crime drama shot entirely in London, marking the first time G-Unit has produced a series outside the United States. Fightland is Starz’s first wholly owned original series since the network’s split from Lionsgate.

What Is ‘Fightland’ about?

The series follows Maduka “Duke” Kilroy, a disgraced, formerly incarcerated heavyweight boxing champion who returns to London after his brother is murdered. Duke serves eight years in a U.S. prison before coming home to seek vengeance against the crime family, led by former promoter Kingsley Marshall, he believes betrayed him.

Howard Charles (Top Boy, Whitstable Pearl) stars as Duke, leading a cast that includes Nicholas Pinnock, Deborah Ayorinde, Charles Babalola, Tahirah Sharif, and Tyler Conti. The series was created by Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith, with Damione Macedon (Power) and Raphael Jackson Jr. (BMF) serving as showrunners and executive producers. Jackson co-produced alongside London-based Expanded Media, with Francis Hopkinson and Kate Leadbetter also producing. Filming took place in Newham, East London, including scenes shot at Peacock’s Gym.

Why This Expansion Matters

It’s G-Unit’s first international production

Nicholas Pinnock, who worked with Jackson previously as an actor before moving into a producing role, said he was drawn to Fightland specifically because of that milestone: “I was so stoked when they asked me to be involved in this project,” he told AFROTECH Culture. “Firstly, because it would be the second time that we collaborated together, but also for that reason, because it’s the first one they’ve done internationally.” He added that being part of something “groundbreaking, and a first for them” made the project meaningful to him.

The team believes it proves a new production model can work

Pinnock said the project shows the existing industry model isn’t the only option: “I think it just goes to prove that the existing model isn’t the only one. And if you’re brave enough, you can shift the paradigm of how these things are done.” He continued, “Fightland, G-Unit, STARZ, Expanded Media, they’ve all proven that you can do it this way and it can work because this will work.”

It’s an American company backing a distinctly British story

Charles Babalola described the show as one that feels rooted in Britain despite its American backing. “It really does feel like a British show, right?” he said. “A British story, but it’s American produced, 50[‘s]… behind it with his first British show.” He connected the project to a longer history of Black British talent working alongside American productions. “I feel like Black actors and creators, they’re making a mark in America prior to this, and we will still be doing that after this… it’s just another actor, another creative on the conveyor belt where we’ve been here and we’re still going to keep on coming,” he added.

Jackson’s personal investment in the project stood out to the cast

Babalola recalled a direct conversation with Jackson about the show: “I feel like whatever 50 puts his hand on turns to gold. And I know he’s really passionate about this one. He even told me that. He was like, ‘Yo, I’m excited about this one. This one feels like a good one.'”

Deborah Ayorinde pointed to Jackson’s time on set during filming as evidence of that investment. “He came on set, just really showed love and showed so much support,” she said. “And then the rest of the week he was on set, he gave space for us to do our scene because he’s an actor as well… it really brought the morale up. And it really showed that he’s proud of having our show on his plate.”

It expands the “Power” universe without functioning as a spinoff

Babalola said Fightland shares elements with Jackson’s other crime dramas while standing apart from them. “You know instantly that you are entering a universe, albeit I feel like Fightland is its own separate universe because it’s British, it’s boxing, there’s elements to it that has similarities to the other shows in the universe, but I feel like it sits on his own,” he explained.

London functions as a calibrated backdrop, not just a setting

Pinnock compared London’s role in the show to how other iconic cities function in film and television. “London, like New York or Hollywood or Paris, it’s one of the most iconic places on earth,” he said.

He explained the version of London depicted is deliberately measured for the show’s existing audience, adding, “You give them something that’s familiar, not too far removed because the London that we see in the show isn’t the extent of London. But if you don’t give them that, they’re not going to be familiar with something to help introduce them into a world that they’re not familiar to in the first place.”

Several cast members see it as part of a UK creative renaissance

Ayorinde connected Fightland to a broader trend in British television. “I think personally, I feel like there’s a renaissance happening here in the UK where, for the past few years, you see a lot of these really authentic shows from different backgrounds, people from different backgrounds telling their stories,” she said. And it feels really good to be a part of that.”

She also noted the value of pairing that authenticity with G-Unit’s existing audience, explaining, “To also bridge that gap with the production company where he has that built-in audience that you love… it’s really something to be proud of.”

She added that continued support matters for future projects like it. “It’s sad to say, but whenever shows like ours… do well, I think it makes room for other ones like us.,” she said. “And it shouldn’t be like that because we should just be able to exist because it’s a good show. But I think we really, it’s important that we get that support.”

Appeal beyond the UK

Tahirah Sharif said Fightland‘s London setting doesn’t limit its appeal. “I think it’s the type of show that can appeal to really everybody,” she said. “It is obviously set in London. It’s rooted in London and it’s very unique culture. But actually the themes are so relatable globally. You’ve got betrayal, lust, revenge, family dynamics, ambition.” Tyler Conti agreed, tying those themes to something broader. “The human condition as well,” he said. “So it involves everything. And I think that’s super relatable. And that’s wildly, universally, it’s relatable.”

It could open doors for British creatives working internationally

Conti framed the project as a signal to other British creatives about where UK-made work can go. He told us, “I think it’s a great opportunity for everyone. And I like the idea that we in some way are leading the way for that to make the distance smaller… I guess it can be inspiring for British creatives and stuff to know that there isn’t a limit of where UK work can go and it isn’t just for the Brits and you’re capped at that. It can go universally, for sure.”

For the cast, it comes back to the value of storytelling itself

Howard Charles, who plays Duke, offered a broader reflection on why the project mattered to him. Stories are what make us who we are,” he said. “Stories are actually the reason why humanity has made it this far… Stories inspire us. They warn us. They prevent us from maybe the pitfalls of life… Stories are probably what’s going to save us.” On working with the cast and crew, he added, “It’s an honor and a privilege… to work with teams that are the very best at what they do. And you all come together and you have to form this familial bond very quickly.”

The post 50 Cent’s G-Unit Production Company Expanded To The UK With ‘Fightland,’ And Here’s Why This Global Expansion Matters appeared first on AfroTech.

The post 50 Cent’s G-Unit Production Company Expanded To The UK With ‘Fightland,’ And Here’s Why This Global Expansion Matters appeared first on AfroTech.