AIDS Drama BOYS Adds Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, and More

Variety reports that Russell T. Davies' upcoming series "Boys" has cast its leads: Neil Patrick Harris, Keeley Hawes, and Olly Alexander.

The series charts the lives of a group of young gay men who find themselves caught up in the blooming AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

"It's the kind of story that you think has been told, but then you realize it hasn't been told in Britain," Davies said. "I am amazed that I haven't written this before - I am amazed no one has. I think we are reaching a bit of a generational thing now where men like me in their 50s are looking back and realizing how shocking it was."

Alexander, who is a Pop singer, plays 18-year-old Ritchie, the apple of his parents' eye, but from whom he keeps his secrets. He falls in with pals Roscoe and Colin, played by Omari Douglas and Callum Scott Howells, respectively, and the "boys" embark on adventures together as the epidemic begins to spread.

Hawes, who recently starred on "Bodyguard," stars as his mother; Shaun Dooley plays his father.

"I've been a fan of Russell T. Davies ever since I watched 'Queer as Folk' in secret at 14 years old," Alexander said. "His work helped shape my identity as a gay person, so I'm absolutely over the moon we'll be working together."

Harris plays a man named Henry Coltrane.

Said Harris: "This drama, 'Boys,' is two things. It is an irresistible, funny, jubilant story of young people discovering their true identities and the unalloyed joy of living life to the fullest. It is also a deeply resonant exploration of a decade when so many of these lives were cut short by the devastating effects of the nascent AIDS pandemic. Russell's scripts chart the highs and lows of this time so beautifully and deftly."

Read the original story on Variety.