Cameras roll on Foxtel’s Upright

Filming is now underway in South Australia on upcoming Foxtel drama Upright, starring Tim Minchin (The Secret River, Squinters, No Activity, Californication) and rising star Milly Alcock (Pine Gap, Reckoning, Fighting Season).

The 8 part Lingo Pictures co-production with SKY UK, follows two misfits in the middle of the Australian desert, forging the unlikeliest of bonds as they drag a piano from one side of the country to the other. It is created by The Chaser‘s Chris Taylor, joined by writers Kate Mulvany & Leon Ford.

The cast also includes Heather Mitchell, Daniel Lapaine, Ella Scott Lynch, Daniel Frederiksen, Kate Box, Ningali Lawford, Sachin Joab, Luke Carroll and Rob Collins.

Minchin said, “From the moment I heard about the idea for Upright, I knew it was the show I’d been waiting to make. I like stories that make me laugh and think and cry, I adore the landscapes of outback Australia, and I love music, and homecomings, and characters full of flaws. It’s awesome to be writing with this extraordinary team, and I’m looking forward to acting alongside Milly Alcock and this incredible cast.”

Filming will conclude in Western Australia later this year.

Lucky Flynn (Minchin) hasn’t spoken to his family in years. He’s broke, distant and damaged. He’s also a gifted pianist, whose talent for music is matched only by his talent for self-destruction. When he learns that his mother has only days left to live, Lucky sets off in a hire car to drive the 4000 kilometres from Sydney to Perth to say goodbye to her, taking with him his only cherished possession in the world – a battered and scarred upright piano. But what should have been a straightforward drive across the Nullarbor soon becomes a test of Lucky’s emotional fitness, when he (quite literally) runs into Meg Adams (Alcock), a hilarious, tough-as-nails teenager, who we soon discover has plenty of scars and secrets of her own.

The stellar team behind Upright include creator Chris Taylor, best known as a member of The Chaser team. Taylor and Minchin are writing the eight-part series alongside award-winning writer-actors Kate Mulvany (Fighting Season, Jasper Jones stage play) and Leon Ford (Offspring, No Activity). The Director is Matthew Saville (Please Like Me). Minchin also writes the music and is Executive Producer with Penny Win and Helen Bowden. Producers are Lingo Pictures’ Jason Stephens (Lambs of God), Chris Taylor and Melissa Kelly (Hounds of Love).

The series is made in association with the South Australian Film Corporation, with investment from Screenwest and Create NSW.

Lingo Pictures recently produced Lambs of God for Foxtel, starring Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Essie Davis (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Game of Thrones) Sam Reid (Prime Suspect 1973) and Jessica Barden (The End of the F*****g World).

Production credit: Upright is a Lingo Pictures production for Foxtel and Sky UK, with major production investment from Foxtel and Screen Australia in association with the South Australian Film Corporation. Financed with support from Create NSW and Screenwest. Rest of world sales are being handled by eOne.