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Romper Stomper series headed to Stan

1992 neo-Nazi film starring Russell Crowe to pick up the story 25 years later.


Geoffrey Wright’s 1992 feature Romper Stomper is to be turned into a 6-part drama series for Stan.

The film which starred Russell Crowe will see Jacqueline McKenzie and Dan Wyllie reprising their roles in a continuation of the story 25 years later. Joining them are Lachy Hulme, Sophie Lowe, David Wenham and rising star Toby Wallace (Boys In The Trees).

The drama is to be produced by John Edwards and Dan Edwards for Roadshow Rough Diamond.

Described as a high stakes crime drama / political thriller, Romper Stomper will follow a new generation of the activist Right, their Anti-Fascist counterparts, and the multicultural fabric of a country each of them threatens to tear apart.

The new series is the brainchild of original filmmaker Wright himself, who will direct alongside Daina Reid (The Secret River, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS, Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War), and New Zealand director James Napier Robertson (The Dark Horse). The 6 x 1 hour drama is written by Wright, Robertson, award-winning author / poet and rapper Omar Musa (Here Come the Dogs), and Walkley award-winning journalist and author Malcolm Knox.

Producer John Edwards said: “Romper Stomper is a fantastic chance to break the mould of Australian drama – a contemporary thriller with competing tribes and different points of view battling for power. The series brings together some of our greatest character actors and wonderful new talents as well. Very exciting.”

Stan’s Chief Content Officer, Nick Forward said: “With such an extraordinary creative team, Romper Stomper will be unmissable television, as provocative now as the film was in 1992, examining at a personal level the hatred, fear, vengeance and politics hidden in plain sight all around us. Stan is privileged to bring Geoffrey’s prodigious talents to bear on a contemporary exploration of the themes his film tackled so brilliantly.”

Mesmerising, confrontational and controversial, the original film’s ideas are more relevant than ever now, 25 years later, as the world confronts the politics of hate and hard-right populism. This bold, new Stan Original Series will be a must-see TV event, and will be available exclusively on Stan.

Screen Australia’s Head of Production, Sally Caplan said: “Few Australian films provoked more social commentary than Romper Stomper did in 1992. With prolific producer John Edwards and original Romper Stomper writer/director Geoffrey Wright at the helm, this project came to us with an exceptional creative vision, now supercharged by a stellar Australian cast. We commend Stan on taking a risk with this story and are delighted to partner with them once again as they continue to expand their original local content offerings.”

Film Victoria CEO, Jenni Tosi said: “In 1992 Film Victoria supported Geoffrey Wright as he set the Australian feature film world alight with his fearless debut feature Romper Stomper. Twenty five years later we are delighted that he is leading this reimagining of the original story along with the equally talented Victorian Director Daina Reid and being produced by John Edwards and Dan Edwards from Roadshow Rough Diamond.

9 Responses

  1. Without the 2 leads, one deceased in the film and the other tragically in real life, what is the point of using the film title a quarter of a century later? Will be an entirely new product-there are many films and TV programs on SBS that cover the same ground in various European countries if one is a regular viewer of the network.

  2. I don’t comment much these days but I’m finding this current trend of mining past Australian drama successes a bit confusing, if not depressing. Where’s the forward-thinking Nick Forward? I guess the march of the right is worth exploring in all it’s guises, but hasn’t Jeffrey Wright had another idea in 20 years? Contemporising Macbeth didn’t work out that well – but it should have.

  3. I have concerns about this. I hope the writers do not seek to portray the neo-nazis in a negative way. They are a minority group who are often persecuted and vilified by a stalinist left wing thespian establishment. The so called anti facsists are idealogical supremacists seeking to suppress the masses’ freedoms….often using violence to enforce their extremist views. I hope this is accurately reflected in te series.

  4. Context is always important altho’ I think that the film was pretty brutal in its exposition. The trouble with films of this nature is that unthinking people can sometimes mistake social commentary as a call to arms.

    Will be interesting to see how the series treats this story, especially with regard to more recent events.

    1. Completly disagree yes the movie was confronting disturbing and in your face. My only concern is that can they actually do the film justice …. knowing that the cast and writers are coming back we can only hope….

    2. The original was an anti skinhead film, I don’t see how narratively or character development wise it could be read differently. Reading about the production and research process certainly points toward this.

      With many dramas displaying sex, violence and drugs without complaint, I don’t see why racism is somehow taboo now.

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