ABC Studios International Scores Australian Crime Drama From ‘The Kettering Incident’ Creator
June 5, 2018
ABC Studios International Scores Australian Crime Drama From ‘The Kettering Incident’ Creator
ABC Studios International, the Disney-owned global production unit, is deepening its ties down under with an eight-part series for streaming service Stan.
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The division, which is run by former ABC casting chief Keli Lee, is producing crime drama The Gloaming with The Kettering Incident’s Victoria Madden and Boys In The Trees producer John Molloy.
The drama, which will be shot in Tasmania, follows unorthodox, troubled cop Molly McGee, who leading an investigation into the murder of an unidentified woman. To solve the case, Molly has to team up with Alex O’Connell, a man she hasn’t spoken to in twenty years, and they discover that the murder has links to a cold case from the past. What begins as a routine investigation exposes something more insidious, and to catch the killer, Molly and Alex have to face the ghosts of their past.
Australian production companies Sweet Potato Films, 2 Jons and Mushroom Pictures are producing alongside the Disney firm. Molly, Madden and Fiona McConaghy will produce with Lee, Rob Gibson, Nick Forward, Jon Adgemis and Michael Gudinski exec producing.
It follows the launch of Harrow, the Ioan Gruffudd-fronted crime drama for Australian public broadcaster ABC, which has been picked up for a second season. It is the latest original for the digital platform Stan, following No Activity, which is being remade in the U.S. by Will Ferrell and Romper Stomper.
The show will air in 2019. Disney Media Distribution will sell globally.
Nick Forward, Stan’s Chief Content Officer said “We’re delighted to be working with Vicki and John to bring this extraordinary and unique project to the screen. Partnering with Disney’s ABC Studios International, the scale and scope of this production has rarely, if ever, been seen in Australia before.”
“We’re excited to work with the incredibly talented Vicki Madden,” added Keli Lee, Managing Director, ABC Studios International. “We loved her work on The Kettering Incident and know this story is in great hands. We’re thrilled to partner with John Molloy and Stan and to create an incredible world for The Gloaming in beautiful Tasmania.”
Also, on Stan, Sony-backed production company Playmaker Media, is making six-part mystery drama Bloom, created by High Life’s Glen Dolman. The series will be directed by Chappaquiddick director John Curran, his TV debut, and will be set one year after a devastating flood kills five locals and a new plant appears with the power to restore people’s youth. Sony Pictures Television will distribute internationally with production set to start in August.