News

The exciting news continues to pour in for the stars of James Cameron's Avatar film series. Just days after Zoe Saldaña won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Netflix movie Emilia Pérez, her Avatar costar Sam Worthington has some exciting Netflix news of his own. If you're a fan of Netflix's Harlan Coben shows, then you're going to love it!

On March 5, Deadline broke the news that Sam Worthington has officially boarded I Will Find You, the next thriller limited series based on a Harlan Coben book coming to Netflix. I Will Find You is one of the four Coben series still in the works on various streaming services, as Netflix drops two — Just One Look and Caught — this month. (Just One Look began streaming on March 5.)

Netflix ordered I Will Find You to series back in November 2024 as the first United States-based series out of the Coben-verse.

Watch out, Yellowstone! There's a new Western family in town thanks to the Oct. 24 release of Territory on Netflix. The Australian drama series centers on the Lawson family and their Marianne Station cattle station and the various rivals looking to swoop in and pounce on the dynasty's plans for succession in the midst of a personal family tragedy.

The action-packed drama series has all the makings of a new binge-watch obsession for viewers who can't get enough of shows like the aforementioned Yellowstone, Succession, Dynasty, and various series about taut family businesses and the social politics that define their past, present, and future. Before the series becomes the next Netflix hit, learn who's who in the show.

Here's the full Territory cast list:

Anna Torv as Emily LawsonMichael Dorman as Graham LawsonRobert Taylor as Colin LawsonSam Corlett as Marshall LawsonSara Wiseman as Sandra KirbyDan Wyllie as Hank HodgeClarence Ryan as...

Brian Walsh, the popular Australian TV and film executive credited with a key role in Neighbours‘ global success, died unexpectedly Thursday in Sydney. He was 68.

An outpouring of sadness has come from Australian media industry following the death of Walsh, who was mentor to stars such as Guy Pearce and helped launch the careers of Nicole Kidman and Kylie Minogue.

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Australia's Foxtel Renews Content Pact With Warner Bros Discovery Related Story TV Review: Damian Lewis & Guy Pearce In 'A Spy Among Friends'

Australian network Foxtel, where Walsh most recently worked, confirmed the news.

Pearce wrote on Twitter he was “utterly devastated” at the loss of his “long time friend and mentor,” while the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts called him “one of Australia’s most distinguished television producers.”

I’m in shock & utterly devastated at the...

Milla Bell-Hart and Phil Tarl Denson in Impact 2.

Shaun Grant, Jason Smilovic, Kai Wu, Stuart Beattie and Sarah Heyward are mentoring 14 emerging creators in Impact Australia, the offshoot of Us Imagine Impact founded by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Tyler Mitchell.

Supported by Gentle Giant Media Group and Screen Australia, the inaugural eight-week accelerator program for creative storytellers from across Australia was originally slated to be held in Melbourne.

Due to Covid-19 it is now being held as a virtual program, with a twice-weekly speaker series. It will culminate in Pitch Day, hoped to take place in Melbourne in late 2020, with the ultimate goal of the creators selling their projects.

The 14 creators from across Australia are working on 10 projects:

Carrie Anderson (Nsw) – Bound (TV hour)

Luke Goodall (Vic) and Marc Gallagher (Vic) – Robots Inc. (TV half hour)

Sukhjit Khalsa (Wa) and Perun Bonser (Wa) – One of the Good Ones (TV...

Jessica Paine and Ramon Watkins.

Jessica Paine and Ramon Watkins are the inaugural recipients of the In Dreams screenwriting Fellowship, launched by producers Carmen Knox and Melissa Azizi.

The fellowship is designed to connect Aussie screenwriting talent with Hollywood; Paine and Watkins will now complete the Storywise six-week Teleseminar with story/career consultant and In Dreams sponsor Jen Grisanti before participating in a curated series of meetings with key Hollywood industry professionals. All finalists in the program were also awarded Final Draft screenwriting software.

Finalists’ scripts were evaluated by a panel of Hollywood judges, including representatives of Imagine Entertainment, Greg Silverman’s Stampede, Verve Talent and Literary Agency, Abrams Artists Agency and Gunpowder & Sky.

Paine, a former breakfast TV producer, is a screenwriter and script editor who since graduating from Aftrs Graduate Diploma of Screenwriting has worked on shows such as Deadline Gallipoli, Wonderland and Cleverman. Most recently, Paine spent...

Hannah Carroll Chapman.

After finishing up as one of the lead writers on the second series of The Heights, Hannah Carroll Chapman is developing her own projects, including two with ABC serial alumni Romina Accurso and Megan Palinkas.

Her eclectic slate includes Hold Me a Tight, a feminist horror film about a guy who works in a plastics factory and is haunted by a sex doll which wreaks revenge, and several projects with Matchbox Pictures.

With Accurso and Palinkas she is developing two comedy series which explore the current “war” between Millennials and Baby Boomers in Australia.

She has finished the first draft of the feature and is keen to find a “shit hot director.”

Matchbox Pictures’ Warren Clarke, The Heights showrunner and co-creator with Que Minh Luu, hired Hannah to script edit and write multiple episodes of the first season, co-produced with Peta Astbury’s For Pete’s Sake Productions,...

Rachel Griffiths. (Photo: Lisa Tomasetti)

Actor, director and producer Rachel Griffiths will deliver this year’s Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture at Screen Producers Australia’s (Spa) Screen Forever conference.

An Academy and Emmy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress, Griffiths’ feature directorial debut, Michelle Payne biopic Ride Like A Girl, is due in cinemas later this month. She also stars in and co-created ABC/Blackfella Films’ Black Bitch, the first two episodes of which will premiere today at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Griffiths got her big break in 1994 with P.J. Hogan’s Muriel’s Wedding, after which she headed to the Us and became well-known for roles in long-running series Six Feet Under and Brothers & Sisters. Her role in Hilary & Jackie earned her an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress.

In film her credits include My Best Friend’s Wedding, Hacksaw Ridge,The Hard Word, Blow, Step Up,...

Huw Higginson.

Huw Higginson often plays admirable, upstanding characters but sometimes he gets more of a kick out of tackling villains.

In the past year the English-born actor has portrayed a brutish magistrate in Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale and a serial killer truck driver in Playmaker Media’s Mandarin series Chosen directed by Tony Tilse.

He played more nuanced characters including the abandoned husband and father of Miranda Tapsell’s bride-to-be in Wayne Blair’s Top End Wedding; a lawyer who represents the family of a missing priest (Sam Reid) in Lingo Pictures/Foxtel’s drama Lambs of God; and a wealthy gentleman who sends his ward to boarding school in Fremantle/Foxtel’s Picnic at Hanging Rock.

“Unpleasant characters are often more interesting to play,” says the actor who played the well-meaning Constable George Garfield in The Bill for 10 years. “You have to try to find something to...

Avatar actor Sam Worthington is set to star in Australian thriller Gold alongside Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom, The Light Between Oceans).

Saboteur Media has come on board the project, which Hayes will direct from a script he wrote with Polly Smith.

Gold centers on two men traveling through the remote desert who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate the find, with one leaving to secure equipment and the other staying behind to protect the discovery.

The picture is being produced by John Schwarz (The Hunter’s Prayer, Killerman), Michael Schwarz (Danger Close, Deadline Gallipoli) through their ...

Avatar actor Sam Worthington is set to star in Australian thriller Gold alongside Anthony Hayes (Animal Kingdom, The Light Between Oceans).

Saboteur Media has come on board the project, which Hayes will direct from a script he wrote with Polly Smith.

Gold centers on two men traveling through the remote desert who stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found. They hatch a plan to protect and excavate the find, with one leaving to secure equipment and the other staying behind to protect the discovery.

The picture is being produced by John Schwarz (The Hunter’s Prayer, Killerman), Michael Schwarz (Danger Close, Deadline Gallipoli) through their ...

‘The Projectionist’

Marcus McKenzie’s The Projectionist won five prizes at the 21st annual South Australian Screen Awards, which celebrate the best short works made by the state’s up-and-coming filmmakers.

Starring Chris Haywood as a recently widowed pensioner who discovers he can travel into the world of his old Super 8mm home movies, McKenzie’s film collected the awards for best male performance, editing (Daniel Principe), production design (Annalisa Francesca), hair and make-up (Bec Buratto) and music composition (Chris Larkin).

Sam Matthews’ Unboxed, where six gender diverse artists share their experiences while creating an artwork based on the theme “unboxed” won the Grand Jury Prize and best documentary. Rebecca Elliott, who produced the doco with Kirsty Stark, took home the emerging producer award.

The second annual presentation of the Mercury Award, a $3,000 cash prize, which celebrates an individual’s outstanding achievement and contribution to the Sa film industry, went...

The Hunting.

Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh will head the ensemble cast of Sbs’s four-part drama The Hunting, which goes into production tomorrow in Adelaide.

Joining the two actors in the Closer Productions series are Sam Reid (Bloom, Lambs of God), Jessica De Gouw (Arrow, Deadline Gallipoli), Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher (The Heights, Safe Harbour), Pamela Rabe (Wentworth), Leah Vandenberg (The Letdown), Rodney Afif (Ali’s Wedding), Sachin Joab (Lion) Elena Carapetis (Look Both Ways), Anni Lindner (Wolf Creek TV) and newcomers Kavitha Anandasivam and Alex Cusack.

Created by Closer’s Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack, The Hunting (previously titled The Hunt) follows four teenagers, their teachers and families throughout the lead up, revelation and aftermath of a nude teen photo scandal. When two high school teachers discover students are sharing explicit photos of their underage friends and peers online, the revelation has unbearable consequences for the students and their families.

Oh Sony, it's like you heard my nerdy little prayers, as it's been announced that a Spider-women film is being developed as a part of the studio's Spider-Man Universe initiative. With scripting by Wrath Of The Titans and Deadline Gallipoli scribe Bek Smith, Sony plans to unleash an animated feature film that will focus on three generations of women with Spidey…...

Critically praised Australian series Safe Harbour is set to make its U.S. debut on Hulu. As part of a deal with NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution, the four-part event drama will debut August 24 on Hulu.

Safe Harbour tells the story of five Australians on a yachting holiday from Darwin to Indonesia, whose idyllic vacation takes a disastrous turn when they come across a broken-down fishing boat, full of desperate asylum seekers. The Australians decide to help, towing the refugees, but when they wake the next morning the fishing boat is gone. Five years later they meet some of the refugees again and learn the truth. Someone cut the rope between the two boats and, as a result, seven people died when the fishing boat sank. The revelation drives a wedge of mistrust between the Australians, as they grapple with protecting themselves and doing the right thing. The refugees...

JoAnn Alfano, Evp of Scripted Programming, NBCUniversal International Studios, is returning to the domestic side of NBCUniversal’s TV operation where she had started her career. Alfano has been tapped as Evp, Current Series and New Business Development, for Universal Television.

Reporting to Universal TV President Pearlena Igbokwe, Alfano will oversee the studio’s current series department and, using her background, will also help identify development opportunities in the international scripted marketplace, liaising with NBCUniversal International Studios when appropriate.

In the head of current series part of the job, Alfano is succeeding Evp Current Programming Chris Sanagustin who left the studio for a new job.

“Having someone of JoAnn’s stature join Universal Television is a real coup for us,” Igbokwe said. “I can’t think of anyone more capable or knowledgeable to entrust our beloved series to and we get the added benefit of her international marketplace expertise. #SheSaidYes.

Shaun Grant.

Screenwriter Shaun Grant has been working non-stop since the release of Snowtown, his first film, in 2011.

Grant divides his time between La and Melbourne these days after wrapping up work on projects as diverse as Deadline Gallipoli, Jasper Jones and Berlin Syndrome at home in Australia.

Now working out of an office in West Hollywood, the scribe is working on several projects, including a long-gestating adaptation of Peter Carey.s True History of the Kelly Gang for producer Liz Watts and Snowtown director Justin Kurzel.

.It.s a beautifully written book,. says Grant. .He.s an iconic character in our country, so of course when Liz approached me I had some trepidation. But the things that scare me are usually the ones I.m drawn to. And Justin and I have been looking to work together since Snowtown..

Like Animal Kingdom before it, Snowtown put a rocket under...

Cate Shortland on the set of 'Berlin Syndrome'.

Berlin Syndrome filmmaker Cate Shortland is prepping an eight-part series for Matchbox Pictures.

Titled The Monaro, the series will focus on six women in the 1830s and is based on a true crime case, the director told If.

Shortland will shoot in the titular region, east of the Snowy Mountains, where she also shot her debut feature, Somersault.

.It.s one of my favourite places in the world to shoot so I wanted to do something again there,. the helmer said..

Shortland is an experienced writer for TV, having written episodes of The Slap, Devil.s Playground, Deadline Gallipoli and The Kettering Incident, but this will mark the first series she has directed since The Secret Life of Us in 2003.

She also helmed TV movie The Silence, starring Richard Roxburgh and co-written by Picnic at Hanging Rock.s Alice Addison,...

Exclusive: Recently launched Arcadia heads to Utah with survival thriller.

Recently launched Australian production and sales outfit Arcadia has signed Sundance 2016 romance-drama First Girl I Loved for world sales.

Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) and Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), star in writer-director Kerem Sanga’s film, which won an Audience Award in Park City.

The coming of age story follows Anne (Gelula), a seventeen-year-old who fallsl in love with Sasha (Hildebrand), the most popular girl at her La public high school.

When Anne tells her best friend Clifton about the romance he does his best to get in the way.

The deal was negotiated by producers Psh Collective and Arcadia’s Alexandra Burke, who commented: “We’re thrilled to have this beautiful film by Kerem Sanga and the great team at Psh Collective. It marks the new wave of teen films, and judging by its success at Sundance Film Festival alongside the Us theatrical and VOD release, plus outstanding...

Exclusive: Recently launched Arcadia heads to Utah with survival thriller.

Recently launched Australian production and sales outfit Arcadia has signed Sundance 2016 romance-drama First Girl I Loved for world sales.

Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool) and Dylan Gelula (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), star in writer-director Kerem Sanga’s film, which won an Audience Award in Park City.

The coming of age story follows Anne (Gelula), a seventeen-year-old who fallsl in love with Sasha (Hildebrand), the most popular girl at her La public high school.

When Anne tells her best friend Clifton about the romance he does his best to get in the way.

The deal was negotiated by producers Psh Collective and Arcadia’s Alexandra Burke, who commented: “We’re thrilled to have this beautiful film by Kerem Sanga and the great team at Psh Collective. It marks the new wave of teen films, and judging by its success at Sundance Film Festival alongside the Us theatrical and VOD release, plus outstanding...

Red Dog: True Blue.. . Damien Power.s feature debut Killing Ground will make its international debut at the Sundance Film Festival, while Red Dog: True Blue will screen in the kids sidebar. . The news follows on from last week's announcement that Cate Shortland's.Berlin Syndrome.would be making its world premiere at the festival.. . Killing Ground will screen as part of the Midnight sidebar, which has previously launched films such as The Babadook, The Blair Witch Project, Saw, The Witch and Hard Candy. . The thriller, which debuted at Miff, stars Aaron Pedersen (Goldstone, Mystery Road), Harriet Dyer (Love Child, Rueben Guthrie), Ian Meadows (Scare Campaign, The Wrong Girl), Aaron Glenane (Molly, Deadline Gallipoli) and Maya Stange (Wolf Creek TV, Love Child). . .It.s hugely exciting to have our international premiere where so many of my favourite filmmakers got their starts. And I.m thrilled to be screening in the...

Benedict Hardie.

Melbourne native Benedict Hardie.s list of acting credits includes The Water Diviner, The Outlaw Michael Howe, Strangerland, Deadline Gallipoli and Molly..

Hardie is increasingly notching international gigs as well, starting with Syfy.s mini Childhood.s End last year..

Next month sees the release of his two highest-profile features to date, with roles in eOne.s The Light Between Oceans, directed by Blue Valentine.s Derek Cianfrance, and Icon.s Hacksaw Ridge, directed by Mel Gibson — both of which land in Australian cinemas on November 3.

The actor describes Oceans, which filmed in late 2014 in New Zealand and Tasmania, as his first international gig. Hacksaw followed, with the shoot taking place in Sydney late last year.

The audition process was similar for both, Hardie says.

.They both involved an audition with the casting director, followed by a meet and greet with the director. In the case of Lbo...

Morgan Griffin and Xavier Samuel

Shooting has commenced in Adelaide on suspense thriller Bad Blood, written and directed by David Pulbrook (Last Dance). As If has previously reported,.the feature will star Adelaide-raised Xavier Samuel (Fury, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse) alongside Morgan Griffin (San Andreas, Unbroken). Just announced to be joining them is a supporting cast featuring all South Australian actors, including Tess Fowler (Raising the Bar, Sam Fox: Extreme Adventures), Rob Macpherson (Deadline Gallipoli, Danger 5), Elena Carapetis (One Eyed Girl, Burning Man, Look Both Ways) and Patrick Frost (the.Wolf Creek series, Deadline Gallipoli). Casting director Angela Heesom said, .We have been able to find the entire supporting cast out of South Australia which is incredibly exciting. This means, with the inclusion of South Australian lead, Xavier Samuel, it.s a very home grown picture for us all to be making and showcases the extraordinary talents of our local acting community.

Xavier Samuel in Kimble Rendall's Bait 3D.

Adelaide-raised Xavier Samuel is returning home to star in South Australian feature Bad Blood, a suspense thriller to be directed by David Pulbrook (Last Dance) about a couple's long weekend away that turns sinister.

Samuel will star alongside Morgan Griffin (San Andreas, Unbroken) in his first Sa-shot film since his debut film, 2006's 2:37 (the film which also provided an early breakout role for Teresa Palmer).

Bad Blood will be produced by Wolf Creek's David Lightfoot alongside Antony I. Ginnane, with filming in the Adelaide Hills and at Adelaide Studios to begin June 6 and run for three weeks.

.Interest in filming in South Australia is currently very high, with the State.s experienced crews, diverse filming locations and the state-of-the-art Adelaide Studios all proving strong drawcards among producers and directors," South Australian Film Corporation Chief Executive Annabelle Sheehan said.

.In the last two years,...

Adg awards nominee Jennifer Peedom.

More than a third of nominees for this year's Australian Directors Guild awards are women.

Two of the four nominees in the Best Direction in a Feature Film category are women and all five films in the Best Documentary Feature category were directed or co-directed by female filmmakers, the Adg said in a statement..

The 2016 awards will be presented across sixteen categories including film, television, animation, multiplatform, music and advertising..

The nominees for Best Direction in a Feature Film are Sue Brooks for Looking for Grace, Jocelyn Moorhouse for The Dressmaker, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler for Tanna and Jeremy Sims for Last Cab to Darwin.

This year there are five nominations for Best Feature Documentary: Nick Bird and Eleanor Sharpe for Remembering The Man, Jennifer Peedom for Sherpa, Margot Nash for The Silences, Stefan Moore and Susan Lambert for Tyke Elephant Outlaw and Lisa Nicol for Wide Open Sky.

The Australian Film Television and Radio School has unleashed a new crop of talent on the industry with the 2015 Graduation Ceremony. . .

A highlight of the ceremony was the awarding of the Aftrs. Honorary Degree (Doctor of Arts) to broadcaster, commentator and filmmaker Phillip Adams.

Adams played a key role in the revival of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. .

He was the author of a 1969 report that led to legislation by Prime Minister Gorton in 1970 for an Australian Film and Television Development Corporation (later the Australian Film Commission) and the Experimental Film Fund as well as the eventual creation of an Australian national film School (now Aftrs). Phillip was one of the original members of council for the interim School.

The Dressmaker producer Sue Maslin present the degree. .

Maslin is a graduate of the Aftrs Masters of Screen Arts & Business degree.

Graduates include Imogen Banks, one of the producers...

The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker dominated the feature categories at the 19th Australian Screen Sound Guild Awards held at The Establishment hotel ballroom in Sydney.

Russell Crowe.s drama won the prizes for feature film soundtrack of the year, best sound design and Assg members. choice for best film soundtrack.

Jocelyn Moorhouse.s dramedy was feted for best film sound recording and sound mixing .

The Syd Butterworth lifetime achievement award went to James Currie, whose career spans 38 years and includes A Month of Sundays, Charlie's Country, Red Dog, Ten Canoes, Man of Flowers, Incident at Raven.s Gate and Bad Boy Bubby.

The Principal was named best sound for a TV drama series while Deadline Gallipoli — episode 2 was best sound for a telefeature and Only the Dead best documentary sound.

The Greg Bell student encouragement award was given to Alex Gastrell, a recent North Sydney Tafe graduate. The full...

Cate Shortland's untitled feature film starring Teresa Palmer will begin filming at Docklands Studio, Melbourne this week.

The film, directed by Shortland, was written by Shaun Grant, who wrote Justin Kurzel.s Snowtown and is based on Melanie Joosten.s book Berlin Syndrome,.

It sees Palmer (Warm Bodies, Wish You Were Here and the upcoming Point Break), return to Australia to star alongside Max Riemelt (Sense8).

Shortland.s film tells the story of an Aussie photojournalist Clare (Palmer), who travels to Berlin and meets a charismatic local named Andi (Riemelt)..

Their attraction is instant, and after a day wandering the streets of Berlin together, a night of passion ensues..

But what initially appears to be the start of a romance suddenly takes an unexpected and sinister turn when Clare wakes the following morning to discover Andi has left for work and locked her in his apartment..

An easy mistake to make,...

Downriver, Holding The Man, The Infinite Man, Kill Me Three Times and Maya The Bee Movie will compete for best feature film at the 15th Screen Producers Australia Awards.

In contention for the TV drama series prize are The Code, Glitch, Love Child series 2 and the third seasons of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries and Wentworth.

To be presented on November 19, the awards recognise excellence in 11 film, television and interactive categories including the inaugural short film production award.

The nominees for feature documentary production are Between A Frock And A Hard Place, The Dalfram Dispute 1938: Pig Iron Bob, Sam Klemke.s Time Machine, That Sugar Film and Women He.s Undressed.

In the running for best telemovie or miniseries are Catching Milat, Deadline Gallipoli, Devil.s Playground, House of Hancock and The Secret River.

The contenders for best TV comedy are 8Mmm Aboriginal Radio, series 2 of Danger 5, Maximum Choppage,...

Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight.s The Water Diviner won the top prize and the gong for best original feature at the 2015 Awgie Awards.

It was the first time a feature collected the Australian Writers' Guild's Major Award and the gong for original feature since 2012 when Tony Briggs and Keith Thompson won with The Sapphires.

The prize for feature film adaptation was shared by Brendan Cowell for Scarlett Productions'. Ruben Guthrie and Tommy Murphy for Matchbox Pictures' Holding the Man.

Matchbox and Full Clip.s Deadline Gallipoli was named best original TV miniseries, acknowledging the work of writers Jacquelin Perske (also script producer), Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland.

FremantleMedia.s Wentworth Season 3, Episode 3 The Governor.s Pleasure by Stuart Page shared the TV series award with Endemol Australia.s Offspring Episode 511 by Michael Lucas. Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon took the award for best miniseries adaptation for...

The subscription television industry has invested a record $796 million in Australian screen content in 2014/15, according to new figures released today at the Astra Conference.

The investment included a record $25 million in factual programming to coincide with the centenary of the Anzac landing at Gallipoli, with programs including Deadline Gallipoli and The Memorial: Beyond the Anzac Legend, as well as local documentaries Abalone Wars and Coast Australia.

Astra chief executive, Andrew Maiden said the industry.s $796 million investment in local screen production was at a record high, "reflecting the unprecedented desire of Australian audiences to watch Australian stories,. he said.

.Audience research shows a renewed interest in local content, making Australian production a key differentiator for the subscription television industry at a time when new streaming services are entering the market.

.This year.s expenditure brings to $6.5 billion the value of our total investment in the Australian production sector in the past decade,...

Science fiction action thriller SFv1 has blasted two new cast members into space, adding Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen) and Luke Ford (Deadline Gallipoli). Set in the future when humanity has spread out into interplanetary colonies, the film follows Sy (Kellan Lutz) , a drifter who falls in with Kane (Daniel MacPherson), an off-world military contractor trying to rescue his daughter Indi (Teagan Croft) from peril while evading a global crisis caused by…...

Filming has started in Western Australia on the new Ben C. Lucas science fiction thriller, Other Life,.

The film, starring Jessica De Gouw, Thomas Cocquerel, and Tj Power, will be shot of five weeks, with Entertainment One taking care of the release in Australia and New Zealand.

This is the second feature for Lucas, whose debut, Wasted on the Young, was acquired by Paramount in Australia and nominated for an Aacta Award after a successful festival circuit including Sydney Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Pusan International Film Festival, South By Southwest Film Festival, and Torino Film Festival.

Otherlife will be produced by Jamie Hilton, Michael Pontin, Janelle Landers, Aidan O.Bryan, Marco Mehlitz,Tommaso Fiacchino, and Bo Hyde. Executive producers include Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Kendal Morgan Rhodes,Josh Pomeranz, Viv Scanu, and Stephen Boyle.

OtherLife is based on the popular novel, Solitaire, by Kelley Eskridge. The screenplay has...

Luke Ford and Anna Samson play a distinctly odd couple at the centre of What Time Is My Heart?, the debut feature from writer-director Romi Trower.

Produced by Tristram Miall, the privately financed film also features Brooke Satchwell, Wade Briggs, Meyne Wyatt, Eddie Baroo and Kaarin Fairfax. Shooting wrapped in suburban Melbourne at the end of last month.

Ford, whose recent credits include Infini, Catching Milat and Deadline Gallipoli, plays Adrian, an It genius with a penchant for fast cars, leather gloves and soppy 1980s pop music, who also happens to have Ocd.

Samson (The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Winners & Losers) is Grace, a street artist with multiple personalities who can only engage in sexual activity through her promiscuous alter ego named G.

The new neighbours find themselves in therapy with the same psychiatrist and share a walk home one evening, beginning a kind of impossible love story with no touching,...

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver will headline the cast of new Foxtel mini-series Secret City.

The political thriller, produced by Matchbox Pictures, begins shooting in Canberra this month.

.Weaver will play Senator Catriona Bailey, Attorney-General and Australian Labor Party powerbroker.

The series was inspired by the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code, written by Canberra journalists Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.

.Foxtel Head of Drama Penny Win said it was a huge casting coup.

"Set in the backdrop of the nation.s capital, Secret City will be a compelling and intriguing Australian political drama and we are very proud of the cast and creatives we are assembling for this program.. . ..

Weaver recently completed production on the upcoming Us comedy series Blunt Talk, opposite Patrick Stewart, and appears with Michael Caton in the Australian film, Last Cab To Darwin.

.In Secret City, Weaver will be joined by Anna Torv (Fringe,...

Nine features have been nominated for this year's Awgie Awards for performance writing.

Eight telemovies and miniseries are in contention. The Australian Writers. Guild says nominations in the 25 categories for the 48th Annual Awgie Awards reflect the abundance of outstanding work currently being produced in Australia. Nominees for best original telemovie are Steven McGregor for Redfern Now: Promise Me and Katherine Thomson for House of Hancock, while Christopher Lee.s Gallipoli and Jan Sardi and Mac Gudgeon.s The Secret River contend for best adaptation in a television miniseries. There are four nominees for original television mini-series: The Principal by Alice Addison and Kristen Dunphy; The Kettering Incident by Vicki Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox; Deadline Gallipoli by Jacquelin Perske, Stuart Beattie, Shaun Grant and Cate Shortland; and Love Child: Series 2 from Tim Pye, Cathryn Strickland, Chris McCourt, Jane Allen and Tamara Asmar. In the categories...

Foxtel has announced it will progressively double its investment in Australian scripted, factual, lifestyle and entertainment programming by 2018, boosting funding to record levels. As part of a plan to triple spending on scripted content, the pay TV giant will ramp up its drama slate to at least five original series each year, up from the current average of two, over the next three years. Also, more money will be invested in local comedies following Open Slather, a 20-part sketch show produced by Rick McKenna and Laura Waters. new banner McWaters Productions, which is airing on the Comedy Channel. The budget for factual programming will also triple as Foxtel moves towards commissioning at least six new documentary series annually. The home of Australia.s Next Top Model and The Real Housewives of Melbourne, the platform intends to order at least nine new entertainment series each year. The commitment to boost content...

When Matt Levett was nominated for this year.s Heath Ledger Scholarship along with 17 other rising talents, the actor didn.t fancy his chances amongst what he described as a .an intimidating. line-up.

So he was both stunned and stoked to win the award presented on Monday night Us time in Los Angeles.

The 2009 Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (Waapa) graduate says the $US10,000 cash prize will enable him to further his ambitions in Hollywood.

.It will give me the ability to stay longer and give me a foot in the door,. says Levett, who first went to the Us last September/October, when he signed with the Gersh Agency. The runners-up are fellow Waapa graduate Emilie Cocquerel and Lily Sullivan, who each get a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles and a scholarship to attend Masterclasses at Screenwise Film & TV School for actors in Sydney.

On behalf of the judges,...

Rising young actors who.ve appeared in Unbroken, The Water Diviner, Deadline Gallipoli, Anzac Girls and The Code are among the finalists for the 7th annual Heath Ledger Scholarship.

In all 20 are in contention for the prize which includes two round-trip flights to L.A., a two-year scholarship at the Stella Adler Academy, $5,000 worth of visa and immigration services and $10,000 cash.

Presented by Australians in Film, the winner will be announced in Los Angeles on June 1. Two runners up will each receive a round-trip ticket to La and a scholarship to attend masterclasses at Screenwise Film & TV School for actors in Sydney.

Previous recipients were Cody Fern (The Last Time I Saw Richard), James Mackay (The Dressmaker, The Tomorrow People), Anna McGahan (Anzac Girls, House Husbands), Ryan Corr (The Water Diviner, Wolf Creek 2), Bella Heathcote (Dark Shadows, The Rewrite) and Oliver Ackland (Party Tricks, Blinder).

The finalists were selected...

Sam Worthington in Deadline Gallipoli.

.

Despite massive promotion and widespread critical acclaim, the premiere of Deadline Gallipoli didn.t draw a big audience on Foxtel but the figures for the full week will be a far more accurate measurement.

The 8.30 pm Sunday screening on showcase had 71,000 viewers in the five metropolitan capitals, according to OzTam.

The WW1 drama produced by Matchbox Pictures and Sam Worthington and John Schwarz.s Full Clip ranked just outside the top 20 shows on pay-tv, behind multiple episodes of The Simpsons.

However the producers and Foxtel rate the opening as a solid number and are confident the overall figures will build through the week with time-shifting and catch--up viewing.

.Deadline Gallipoli is one of the finest drama series that Australia has ever produced," Matchbox Pictures MD Chris Oliver-Taylor tells If. "It showcases a defining moment in Australia.s modern history.

"The overnight numbers are a solid...

If you.ve been watching Ian .Molly. Meldrum on TV for years and think you know a lot about the former Countdown host, the Molly biopic on the Seven Network is likely to surprise.

.Viewers will learn a lot about the man they thought they knew well; there are many dimensions to Molly,. says John Molloy, who is producing the two-part program in Melbourne.

Meldrum wanted Samuel Johnson to portray him, which happily coincided with the views of Molloy, director Kevin Carlin and the network. .Molly knew Sam and really trusts him,. Molloy tells If on Thursday, day 14 of the 37-day shoot.

The supporting cast includes Tom O.Sullivan (Wonderland, Packed to the Rafters) as executive producer Michael Shrimpton and T. J Power (The Little Death, Underbelly) as producer-director Rob Weekes, who co-created Countdown with Meldrum in 1974.

The show ran until 1987, launching and supporting the careers of dozens of acts including Inxs,...

A small group of actresses were invited by 20th Century Fox to test as the female lead alongside Ryan Reynolds in “Deadpool.” And it’s a great pool of actresses.

Deadline reported the following actresses, including Morena Baccarin (“Homeland,” “Firefly”), Taylor Schilling (“Orange is the New Black”), Crystal Reed (“Teen Wolf,” “Crush”), Rebecca Rittenhouse (“The Red Band Society”), Sarah Greene (“Vikings”) and Jessica De Gouw (“Arrow,” “Deadline Gallipoli”).

Reynolds will reprise his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool since the 2009’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” The film will be helmed by Tim Miller, who had done visual effects work through Blur Films. The script is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick.

“Deadline” is set for release next year in February.

So here are profile photos of the actresses below. Who’s your favorite?

Morena Baccarin

Taylor Schilling

Crystal Reed

Rebecca Rittenhouse

Sarah Greene

Jessica De Gouw

Source: Deadline...

Joel Jackson.

.

After making his screen debut in Foxtel.s Deadline Gallipoli, Nida graduate Joel Jackson will play the title role in the Seven Network.s Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door.

Sara West has been cast as Liza Minnelli, to whom Allen was married, with Sigrid Thornton as Judy Garland, Rebecca Gibney as Peter.s mother Marion Woolnough and Henri Szeps as New York-based talent agent Dee Anthony.

The two-part drama scripted by Justin Monjo and Michael Miller and directed by Shawn Seet starts production next week. The producers are Rory Callaghan and Kerrie Mainwaring.

As If reported last week, Foxtel executives were so impressed with Jackson.s portrayal of war correspondent Charles Bean in Deadline Gallipoli they made a financial arrangement with the actor.s agent Mark Morrissey of Morrissey Management to ensure that if he took jobs in other shows, none would go to air before...

When Foxtel executives first saw Deadline Gallipoli, they were so impressed with the performance of Joel Jackson they made a highly unusual deal with the young actor and his agent.

A 2013 Nida graduate, Jackson makes his screen debut as Charles Bean, one of the three war correspondents at the centre of the miniseries.

Foxtel executive director of television Brian Walsh and head of drama Penny Win wanted to ensure Deadline Gallipoli will be the first time Australians see the 24-year-old Jackson on screen.

So they made a financial arrangement with the actor.s agent Mark Morrissey of Morrissey Management that if he took jobs in other shows, none would go to air before Deadline Gallipoli premieres on showcase in April.

.It.s very unusual to do that kind of holding deal, especially for a young man who was straight out of Nida,. Morrissey tells If.

Morrissey signed Jackson after admiring his work at Nida,...

Foxtel has unveiled a 20-part comedy series from Rick McKenna and Laura Waters, an adult animation series from Working Dog and its first ever co-commission with Network Ten.

Among other new offerings flagged in Foxtel.s upfronts presentation are a local version of the international hit Pawn Stars, the second series of. The Real Housewives of Melbourne (Matchbox Pictures) and season 9 of Australia.s Next Top Model (Shine Australia) . The drama slate includes the previously announced Deadline Gallipoli starring Sam Worthington (Matchbox Pictures/Full Clip Productions); The Kettering Incident (Porchlight Films/Sweet Potato Films); A Place to Call Home (Seven Productions); and season 3 of FremantleMedia.s Wentworth.

Returning to The LifeStyle Channel next year will be series 8 of Selling Houses Australia (Beyond Productions), Grand Designs Australia series 5 (FremantleMedia) and River Cottage Australia series 3 (Keo Films/LifeStyle).

The untitled Waters/McKenna series for The Comedy Channel will feature some of the...

Short films director and VFX artist Seth Larney aims to make his feature writing and directing debut on Subject 14, a futuristic sci-fi survival saga.

The film is set in 2067 when the Earth faces an oxygen crisis after deforestation and nuclear spills into the ocean. The protagonist Ethan Whyte boards a time-machine and embarks on a journey as humanity's last hope for survival.

The producer is Lisa Shaunessy, Larney.s partner in Chaotic Pictures. Michael Rymer, currently working on the Deadline Gallipoli miniseries for Foxtel, will serve as Ep after spending several years consulting on script, genre and methodology with Larney. The project has received script and project development support from Screen Australia, Screen Nsw, Aftrs and the Kenneth B Myer Award, Pixomondo Beijing, Arclight Films and Mushroom Pictures, which will distribute in Oz.

Denson Baker (untitled Jim Loach Film, Paper Planes) will lens the film, with Oscar-nominated editor Luke Doolan (Miracle Fish,...

Short films director and VFX artist Seth Larney aims to make his feature writing and directing debut on Subject 14, a futuristic sci-fi survival saga.

The film is set in 2067 when the Earth faces an oxygen crisis after deforestation and nuclear spills into the ocean. The protagonist Ethan Whyte boards a time-machine and embarks on a journey as humanity's last hope for survival.

The producer is Lisa Shaunessy, Larney.s partner in Chaotic Pictures. Michael Rymer, currently working on the Deadline Gallipoli miniseries for Foxtel, will serve as Ep after spending several years consulting on script, genre and methodology with Larney. The project has received script and project development support from Screen Australia, Screen Nsw, Aftrs and the Kenneth B Myer Award, Pixomondo Beijing, Arclight Films and Mushroom Pictures, which will distribute in Oz.

Denson Baker (untitled Jim Loach Film, Paper Planes) will lens the film, with Oscar-nominated editor Luke Doolan (Miracle Fish,...

Foxtel has promoted Penny Win to the new role of head of drama, a reward for her work in commissioning The Kettering Incident, Devil.s Playground and Deadline Gallipoli.

Win was commissioning editor for drama as well as channel manager of Foxtel.s SoHo and showcase. The company has not yet announced who will take charge of those two channels.

Foxtel executive director of television Brian Walsh said Win.s promotion is a .resounding endorsement of her skill and commitment to providing our subscribers with unique and distinctive Australian stories. Foxtel.s upcoming drama slate has never been stronger, and this new role sees her responsible for expanding the portfolio of home grown dramas to complement our international drama supply, particularly our exclusive partnerships with HBO and BBC..

Foxtel invests more than $20 million per year in original Australian drama under the 10% quota applying to drama channels.

Win commissioned and was...

Sam Worthington, Hugh Dancy, Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown and Ewen Leslie are just some of the names that make up the impressive Deadline Gallipoli cast.

Foxtel made the casting announcement this morning as the mini-series starts production in South Australia.

Other cast members are Jessica De Gouw, Anna Torv, James Fraser, Charles Dance and newcomer 2013 Nida graduate Joel Jackson.

John Bell of Bell Shakespeare will also be returning to television for the first time in more than 20 years.

The mini-series, directed by Michael Rymer (Hannibal), looks at the Gallipoli legend from the point of view of four war correspondents Charles Bean, Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, Phillip Schuler and Keith Murdoch.

Joel Jackson stars as Bean, Hugh Dancy as Bartlett, Ewen Leslie as Murdoch, and Sam Worthington as Schuler. Charles Dance plays Hamilton, the Commander of the Gallipoli campaign, Bryan Brown plays General Bridges and John Bell plays Lord Kitchener.

"This is a...

Sam Worthington, Hugh Dancy, Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown and Ewen Leslie are just some of the names that make up the impressive Deadline Gallipoli cast.

Foxtel made the casting announcement this morning as the mini-series starts production in South Australia.

Other cast members are Jessica De Gouw, Anna Torv, James Fraser, Charles Dance and newcomer 2013 Nida graduate Joel Jackson.

John Bell of Bell Shakespeare will also be returning to television for the first time in more than 20 years.

The mini-series, directed by Michael Rymer (Hannibal), looks at the Gallipoli legend from the point of view of four war correspondents Charles Bean, Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, Phillip Schuler and Keith Murdoch.

Joel Jackson stars as Bean, Hugh Dancy as Bartlett, Ewen Leslie as Murdoch, and Sam Worthington as Schuler. Charles Dance plays Hamilton, the Commander of the Gallipoli campaign, Bryan Brown plays General Bridges and John Bell plays Lord Kitchener.

"This is a...

Kodi Smit-McPhee, Harry Greenwood, Tom Budge, Lincoln Lewis, Matt Nable, Anthony Hayes, Lachy Hulme and Ashleigh Cummings are among the big ensemble cast announced today for the Endemol Australia/Nine Network miniseries Gallipoli.

A three-month shoot starts in and around Melbourne on March 17 with Glendyn Ivin (Beaconsfield, Puberty Blues) directing. The screenplay by Christopher Lee (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War, Paper Giants, Rush, Police Rescue) is adapted from the best-selling book by Les Carlyon.

The producers are John Edwards (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War, Beaconsfield, Paper Giants, and Offspring), Imogen Banks (Puberty Blues, Offspring) and Robert Connolly (producer of Balibo and The Boys, director of Underground: The Julian Assange Story, The Slap). Nine.s co-Heads of Drama Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan and Endemol Australia CEO Janeen Faithfull are executive producers. .Smit-McPhee plays 17-year-old Thomas .Tolly. Johnson, who lies about his age to enlist with his brother Bevan in the...