Australians Daniel Henshall, Brendan Cowell, Zahra Newman, Jessica Wren, and newcomer Chloe Geisker have joined UK star Maxine Peake and the previously announced Patrick Brammall on the Victorian set of AppleTV+ series The Dispatcher.
Filming will take place at Docklands Studios Melbourne and on location in and around Warrnambool, Mornington Peninsula, and the Yarra Valley over the coming months on the Australian-set adaptation of US author Ryan David Jahn’s 2011 novel of the same name.
Brammall plays Ian Hunt, a police detective whose life fell apart ten years ago when his young daughter, Maggie, disappeared without a trace. Now working as a police dispatcher, the only thing that has kept him going is his implacable refusal to accept that she might be gone forever. When he receives a distress call from a young girl he is certain is Maggie, he will stop at nothing to find her and reunite his broken family, whatever the cost.
Victorian writer Kris Mrksa penned the six-part series and executive produces alongside Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta for 60Forty Films and Werner Film Productions’ Joanna Werner.
They are joined in the creative team by producer Katharina Haase, co-producer Stuart Menzies, line producer Amanda Crittenden, and director and EP Christian Schwochow.
The project is supported by the Victorian Government via VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Incentive and the Australian Government through the Location Offset.
According to VicScreen, the series will create 730 job opportunities for Victorian screen industry workers, including 400 crew, 330 cast and extras, and 15 skills development opportunities for emerging screen creatives and workers. The agency also estimates production will engage 220 local businesses and inject over $45 million directly into the Victorian economy, with an estimated $5 million being spent in regional Victorian communities.
Kousetta said the state had afforded the producers an “abundance of opportunities for making a series of this scale possible”.
“Fantastic facilities, competitive incentives, incredible locations, and first-class crew made filming here a really easy choice,” he said.
“We’re genuinely excited to be making this compelling Australian set show for international audiences to enjoy and have it serve as a showcase for what is possible to achieve in Victoria.”
Victorian Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks said The Dispatcher was a welcome addition to the state’s “year-round pipeline of local and international blockbuster screen projects”.
“Productions like these create jobs and engage local businesses both within and outside of the screen industry, as well as showcasing our talented crew, screen experts, and incredible landscapes for the whole world to see and experience,” he said.
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said global audiences were in for a “white-knuckle ride” with the series.
“Victoria’s talent, diverse locations and premium facilities continue to attract international investment to our state, generating jobs and skills development opportunities for Victorian screen workers and businesses,” she said.