Christopher Walken Destroyed A Genuine Banksy Artwork In Amazon’s ‘The Outlaws’

Christopher Walken in The Outlaws
BBC/Amazon

Christopher Walken tried his hand at graffiti in the final episode of Stephen Merchant‘s The Outlaws, painting over a real Banksy piece in the process.

The six-part comedy thriller, which recently concluded on the BBC and is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. soon, saw Walken’s character deface a unique piece by the famous graffiti artist, which a spokesperson for the show has confirmed was a genuine Banksy.

“We can confirm that the artwork at the end of The Outlaws was an original Banksy and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it,” the spokesperson told Deadline.

The piece was intentionally created for the series by the mysterious artist, so its destruction was pre-planned. Bansky, whose identity has remained unknown for three decades, hails from Bristol, where the comedy series is set.

Written by and starring Hello Ladies star Merchant, The Outlaws follows seven strangers from different walks of life who are forced together through a Community Payback sentence. As unlikely new friendships start to grow, the group finds themselves in a situation where they must unite to protect one of their own from Bristol’s most dangerous criminal gang.

Alongside Merchant and Walken, the series stars Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark) as Gabby, Rhianne Barreto (Hanna) as Rani, Gamba Cole (Hanna) as Christian, Darren Boyd (Killing Eve) as John, Clare Perkins (EastEnders) as Myrna, Jessica Gunning (Back) as Diana, Charles Babalola (Bancroft) as Malaki, and Richard E. Grant (Loki) as The Earl, Gabby’s aristocratic father.

Banksy previously directed the documentary film Exit Through the Gift Shop, which tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, and his obsession with street art. The film was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature at the 2011 Academy Awards.

The Outlaws, TBA, Amazon Prime Video