Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd’s new show, titled Lions, is in the works. HBO boarded the project, announced by the BBC back in February, two months before Gadd’s series became a massive hit and one of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever.

In detail, Lions asks: “What does it mean to be a man?” The story begins when Niall’s estranged “brother” Ruben shows up at his wedding. This leads to an explosion of violence that catapults us back through their lives. Spanning almost 40 years from the 1980s to the present day, the series promises to tell “the highs and lows of the brothers’ relationship, from them meeting as teenagers to their falling out as adults – with all the good, bad, terrible, funny, angry and challenging moments along the way. It will capture the wild energy of a changing city and a changing world.” Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy) and Eshref Reybrouck (Ferry: The Series) are attached to direct.

Commenting on his new endeavour being boarded by HBO, Gadd said: “Ordering an HBO boxset of The Sopranos, The Wire or Oz and watching it from start to finish were some of the happiest moments of my childhood. Since then, it has always been a dream of mine to work with HBO and be part of their iconic roster of shows. I am so grateful to Francesca Orsi, Kara Buckley and Clint LaVigne for taking this chance on the show and on Ruben and Niall, too, who – despite growing up in a dead-end Scottish town – would be absolutely pinching themselves at this. I cannot wait to get started.”

Meanwhile, Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, stated: “We are delighted that HBO is joining us to bring Richard Gadd’s exquisite Lions scripts to the screen. This is bold, brilliant, one-of-a-kind storytelling, and we can’t wait for viewers to see it.”

Kara Buckley, SVP, HBO Drama Programming, added: “We are tremendously excited to partner with the BBC and Richard Gadd, whose remarkable talent continues to make waves across the globe. With this new, gripping and evocative series, we are proud to welcome Richard to the HBO family.”

Lions is being produced by Wendy Griffin. Tally Garner and Morven Reid are serving as the executive producers for UK outfit Mam Tor Productions (founded by Garner and backed by Banijay), with Gaynor Holmes for the BBC and Gavin Smith for BBC Scotland.

Gadd’s groundbreaking series Baby Reindeer is still at the centre of public debate after Fiona Harvey, the woman who is thought to be the inspiration for the stalker character of Martha (played by Jessica Gunning) decided to sue the Los Gatos-based streaming giant, ostensibly for suggesting that the show is a “true story”. Baby Reindeer racked up nearly 60 million views in its first month on the platform.

The release date for Lions is yet to be disclosed.