'The Wire' Creator Pens Musical Based on Folk Punk Band THE POGUES

David Simon, creator of HBO's drama series 'The Wire' has written a musical featuring the music of folk punk band The Pogues, according to The Herald. The scribe had been working on the project with the band's guitarist, Philip Chevron, who passed away earlier this year.

The duo had reportedly written a first draft of the musical, which will be staged by The Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland. However, the The Herald says it could "take years" for the project to come to fruition.

Chevron died at the age of 56 in October, following a cancer diagnosis seven years earlier. In April of 2012, the musician had been successfully treated and given a clean bill of health, however another tumor appeared later that year which was deemed inoperable. Following Chevron's death, The Pogues record label released a statement to NME sharing that the band were "hurt terribly" by the loss of "a remarkable and fantastically talented colleague".

The music of The Pogues has been featured in the HBO drama in numerous episodes and bandmember Spider Stacy guest starred in Simon's other HBO series, Treme, portraying a street musician named James 'Slim Jim' Lynch.

The Irish band from London formed in 1982, and was originally fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 but they continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before breaking up in 1996.

In 2001, The band reformed and has been playing regularly ever since, most notably on the US East Coast around St Patrick's Day and across the UK and Ireland every December. Their politically tinged music was informed by MacGowan and Stacy's punk backgrounds, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, cittern, mandolin and accordion.