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The cast of young up-and-coming actors who play
the band in the mini-series "Pistol" also posed for pictures at
the ritzy event in the capital's Leicester Square on Monday.
But in keeping with the controversy that has been the band's
trademark, singer John Lydon - known as Johnny Rotten at the
time - was absent, having been scathingly critical of the
project in interviews and even filing a lawsuit in a failed
attempt to block use of the band's music in the six-part show.
Based on Jones' memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol",
the drama tells the guitarist's story of how a group of
working-class teenagers formed the band in 1975, and became both
reviled by the British establishment and adored by rebellious
youth before their breakup during a chaotic U.S. tour in 1978.
Racking up hits like "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the
Queen" - an irreverent 1977 blast at the British monarchy
released during the Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 - the Sex
Pistols became a focal point for a punk revolution that inspired
a generation of young Britons growing up in the 1970s during a
time of economic hardship.
"I love the lack of deference, the country was riddled with
deference to these stupid people ... and they just blew it up,
and by blowing it up made it a lot better," said Boyle, who won
an Oscar for directing "Slumdog Millionaire" and first rose to
prominence with cult hit "Trainspotting".
The Sex Pistols' popularity was driven by their anarchic
attitudes and sweary performances on live television, with "God
Save the Queen" almost topping the official British charts amid
the Queen's silver jubilee festivities
In an echo of the events of 1977, "Pistol" is set to come out
just a few days before a weekend of celebration for the Queen's
Platinum Jubilee - just as the cost of living crisis takes and
hard economic times loom over Britain and the rest of the world.
"You hope a story swims into focus for the era you're making it,
but you've no idea. You make it because you feel a sudden
connection to it," Boyle said.
The series stars Toby Wallace as Jones, Jacob Slater as drummer
Cook, Anson Boon as frontman Rotten and Louis Partridge as
bassist Sid Vicious, who died from a drug overdose soon after
the band's rupture. The cast of young actors prepared by diving
into music recorded long before they were born.
"I've never sung before. That's the most special part of this
show for me, is that every single gig you see we performed live
... We spent three months in band camp learning how to play,"
said Boon.
Slater said it was "amazing" that Paul Cook was on hand to help.
"He showed me some of the drum parts and stuff, which was very
surreal," Slater added.
The series also depicts life around the Kings Road boutique SEX
run by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, played by Thomas
Brodie-Sangster, and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, played
by Talulah Riley, who defined the look of the band and the
London punk movement.
McLaren, who died in 2010, is shown as a major character in the
series, the band's fanatic behind-the-scenes conductor.
"I think he is someone who had this vision of a boring dull
England and wanted to kick it onto its ass and wake it up. And
he used these young forgotten generation of boys to be his tools
to do it," said Brodie-Sangster.
"Pistol" will be streaming on Disney+ in Britain and Hulu in the
United States from May 31.
(Reporting by Kristian Brunse; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing
by Kenneth Maxwell)
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