Guy Pearce to star in ABC telemovies Jack Irish

Guy Pearce will star two ABC1 telemovies as Jack Irish, former criminal lawyer now part-time private investigator and debt collector, adapted from the novels by Peter Temple, 2007 winner of the prestigious UK Crime Writer Award for The Broken Shore and last year’s winner of the Miles Franklin Award for Truth.

The lead character is described as “an expert at finding people that don’t want to be found and discovering people’s dark and deadly secrets, as well as having to face his own demons.”

Ian Collie of Essential Media and Entertainment, the producer behind Rake and documentary series The Making of Modern Australia, will produce the two telemovies – Jack Irish: Bad Debts and Jack Irish: Black Tide.

Screenwriters Andrew Knight (Rake, After the Deluge, Seachange) and Matt Cameron (Crashburn, Seachange) have adapted the novels for both telemovies and Jeffrey Walker (Rake, Angry Boys, Small Time Gangster) will direct both.

Carole Sklan, ABC TV’s Head of Fiction said, “ABC TV is bringing to the screen one of Australia’s finest contemporary writers, Peter Temple, and to bring one of his most famous characters to life, we are thrilled to have one of Australia’s leadin gactors, Guy Pearce.”

Ian Collie, Essential Media, said “It’s a perfect match to have one of Australia’s finest actors, Guy Pearce, to play the lead inthe two telemovies based on the books by one of Australia’s finest writers, Peter Temple. Not only is Guy perfect for the role of Jack Irish, but his participation reflects the growing international reputation and respect for Australian television drama”.

Jack Irish is financed with the support of Film Victoria, Screen Australia, ABC Commercial and Germany’s ZDF Enterprises.

Both telemovies will be produced in Melbourne in October and will air on ABC1 in 2012.

Pearce is currently nominated for an Emmy for HBO’s Mildred Pierce.