Channel Nine's telemovie Beaconsfield will start shooting next week.
The Southern Star production, a dramatization of the 2006 Beaconsfield mining disaster, will film for five weeks in locations around Melbourne and Tasmania.
Judi McCrossin's script tells the story of Brant Webb and Todd Russell – who were trapped underground for two weeks after a gold mine collapse which killed fellow miner Larry Knight.
"It's very much in the genre of Apollo 13," says producer John Edwards. "We know what the outcome is, but the suspense is in the detail of how it's reached."
The first week of filming will involve the miner's houses, with week two moving into the mines.
Shane Jacobson (Kenny) will play Brant Webb. Late last month, the actor tweeted that after reading the script, he couldn't wait to begin filming.
Lachy Hulme (Offspring) and Simon Lyndon (Spirited) will play Todd Russell and Larry Knight and Michala Banas and Sacha Horler also star.
Edwards said that the script is being shot as a three hour program and that it will be up to Nine whether they screen it as a telemovie or a two part series.