New Dramas for ABC, SBS, Nine.
Christos Tsiolkas’ novel Barracuda to be adapted for ABC, plus Deep Water for SBS and Tips for Married Life funded for Nine.
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Three new adult dramas for ABC, SBS and Nine have received funding from Screen Australia today, plus investment in previously announced titles for TEN and ABC.
From Matchbox Pictures comes the screen adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas’ novel, Barracuda (pictured). The four-part ABC series follows young Olympic hopeful Danny Kelly as he deals with the pressure of obsession.
A crime drama from Blackfella Films Deep Water for SBS is described as “a gripping story that explores a world in which the threat of violence or death is only one encounter away.”
John Edwards & Mimi Butler’s latest drama, Tips for Married Life, is a six-part series about a woman’s journey of survival from housewife to taking over her husband’s criminal empire to air on Nine. It also received funding from Film Victoria today.
TEN telemovies announced at last year’s Upfronts, Peter Brock and Mary: Making of a Princess have also received funding.
ABC telemovie Nowhere Boys: The Rise of Bear sees the boys drawn together for one last spell while feature film Tomorrow When the War Began, becomes a six-part TV series, previously reported by TV Tonight.
Barracuda
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Amanda Higgs, Tony Ayres
Writers Belinda Chayko, Blake Ayshford
Broadcaster ABC
Domestic/International Sales Universal Media Studios International Limited
Synopsis Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful, Danny Kelly, as he deals with the pressure of obsession.
Deep Water
Blackfella Films
Producers Miranda Dear, Darren Dale
Writers Kris Wyld, Kym Goldsworthy
Broadcaster SBS
International Sales DCD Rights
Synopsis A gripping crime drama that explores a world in which the threat of violence or death is only one encounter away.
Mary: Making of a Princess
FremantleMedia Australia Pty Ltd
Producer Antonia Barnard
Executive Producers Jo Porter, Anthony Ellis
Director Jennifer Leacey
Writer Samantha Strauss
Broadcaster Network Ten
Domestic/International Sales FremantleMedia International Ltd
Synopsis Twenty-eight-year-old Mary Donaldson has all but given up on love when one night she goes to the pub and meets a prince. But falling in love is the easy part, compared to what it takes for an Australian girl to become the future Crown Princess of Denmark.
Peter Brock (working title)
Shine (Aust) Pty Ltd
Producer Kerrie Mainwaring
Executive Producer Rory Callaghan
Director Geoff Bennett
Writers Justin Monjo, Adam Todd
Broadcaster Network Ten
Domestic/International Sales Endemol Shine International
Synopsis This is the true story of a man who was a hero to a generation of Australians. Loved and admired by many, but few knew the real Peter Brock – what made him tick?
Tips for Married Life
Endemol Australia Pty Ltd
Producer Mimi Butler
Executive Producers Janeen Faithfull, John Edwards
Writer Justin Monjo
Broadcaster Nine Network
Domestic/International Sales Endemol Shine International
Synopsis A grieving career wife has to wise up and fight for survival when she finds herself responsible for her dead husband’s criminal debts and wrongdoings.
Television: Children’s Drama
Nowhere Boys: The Rise of the Bear
Matchbox Productions Pty Ltd
Producer Beth Frey
Executive Producers Tony Ayres, Michael McMahon
Writers Tony Ayres, Rhys Graham, Craig Irvin
Broadcaster ABC TV
Domestic Sales Australian Children’s Television Foundation
International Sales Universal Pictures (Australasia), NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Cast Dougie Baldwin, Joel Lok, Rahart Adams, Matt Testro
Synopsis As a devastating magical being threatens to destroy the multiverse, the Nowhere Boys discover that to save everything and everyone that they love, they must make the ultimate sacrifice… themselves.
Tomorrow When the War Began
Ambience Entertainment Pty Ltd
Producers Michael Boughen, Tony Winley
Executive Producers Matthew Street, Kim Vecera, Christopher Mapp
Director Brendan Maher
Writers Blake Ayshford, Alice Addison, Justin Monjo, Josh Mapleston
Broadcaster ABC3
Australian Distributor ABC Commercial
International Sales Annapurna Pictures
Synopsis When their country is invaded by a large hostile force, a group of teenagers fight for their family and homeland. Based on the era-defining novels by John Marsden.
16 Responses
It is pretty clear there is an increasingly small group of producers and writers being commissioned in particular by the ABC and SBS. The result is a lot of dull, monotonal and earnest dramas and a lot of political correctness. There won’t be any changes there until ABC management itself changes and they never leave unless eventually pushed or made redundant. In the meantime thank God for the new streaming services which really illustrate just how dull most of our drama has become and that includes the commercial free to airs.
Thank you! This is so true, its the same producers/prod companies getting commissioned and it even trickles down to any funding to do with breaking into industry where people who are well established enough with credits getting it because of connections.
Part of the trouble is due to the fact that the ABC is in lockstep with Film Victoria as a result of the ABC Victorian drama initiative. It forces the ABC to produce most if its drama/comedy in Victoria. This results in a lack of diversity & the risk of mediocre projects being greenlit in Victoria at the expense of excellent projects elsewhere. The ABC should never have entered into such an arrangement. We don’t need the ABC to be Melbourne-centric (nor Sydney-centric.) I hope the ABC is not stupid enough to renew this agreement upon its expiration at the end of 2015.
Y is dark/twisted shows the only thing we can come up with in this country now, I have no problem with those type of shows if there written well and acted well but they never are in Australia, would love a flash level show but not a kids show, were really lacking in Aussie dramas that aren’t dark, kiddie and soaps. One with out sex, poor writing and break ups. Name be one
The bigger issue here is I note (again) the big three foreign owned companies are regularly securing the lion’s share of commissions from broadcasters and being subsidised by Screen Australia – Shine/Endemol (now 1 company), FremantleMedia, and NBCUNI (Matchbox). Are these the only companies capable of developing a good idea? The answer is ‘No” of course, but the system is now well and truly stacked against the rest. Very disappointed in the ABC on many levels – particularly the role they should be actively playing in encouraging diversity of suppliers. I will personally enjoy Barracuda, but it probably belongs on Foxtel rather than the ABC, where it will be very confronting for their core audience.
Barracuda is a great novel… I do hope they showcase the important parts of the novel, not just focus on the sex and language… by all means show the sex and language but focus on the true nature of the story… I think it will be a good resource for high school students as it does focus on pressure and obsession!
Having read the book, Barracuda should make an interesting mini-series.
I haven’t read it. But if it’s like any other Tsiolkas novel, then I guess it’s got lots of swearing and shagging in it. Just the sort of thing the ABC likes to commission, now that they’ve decided to make soap operas instead of quality drama.
Yes lot’s of swearing, some violence, and some shagging.
Let’s hope they cast it correctly!
Is it my imagination, or is every single TV show in this country written by the same dozen people?
There are certainly some names here that have a strong body of work. Yesterday I wrote a review for Catching Milat and I had never heard of Dalton Dartmouth. So there are always exceptions. Disappointingly I couldn’t even find his name in the media kit.
David, you have been given the wrong name… the writer is Justin Monjo news.com.au/entertainment/tv/catching-milat-to-detail-police-investigation-of-infamous-backpacker-murders/story-e6frfmyi-1226670071018
The writer in the credits in Dalton Dartmouth. Justin Monjo is listed on funding approvals.
Sometimes writers ask for their names to be removed from credits – this could be the case here as it’s a funny name no-one can trace. I’ve heard from reliable sources Seven were nervous about exploring the dark side of this story.
So maybe Dalton Dartmouth is Monjo’s pseudonym? It does sound like a take the p*** made-up name.