South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill today confirmed production of Sam Worthington’s Deadline Gallipoli will start filming in the State in mid-2014.
Mr Weatherill and Sam Worthington launched the Foxtel mini-series today at the South Australian Film Corporation’s Adelaide Studios. Deadline Gallipoli will air on Foxtel in 2015 to coincide with 100th anniversary events surrounding World War 1.
Mr Weatherill said the Government had provided funding to help secure the mini-series, which would provide about 1300 jobs during production.
“It is an exciting production that will mark the Centenary of the ANZAC internationally,” Mr Weatherill said.
“This is the first Foxtel production of its type in South Australia and it will lead to a significant economic activity and job creation.”
The mini-series will follow the team of journalists who were embedded at Gallipoli during the First World War and the astonishing story of how they triggered the decision to end the Gallipoli campaign.
Deadline Gallipoli explores the story of their relationships with the young soldiers sent to Gallipoli to fight, their growing realisation that British command was tragically unprepared for the campaign and their efforts to get their stories out, despite a brutal censorship regime.
Worthington will act as Executive Producer and will star as writer Phillip Schuler. Further casting announcements for the roles of central figures such as Australian journalist Charles Bean, Keith Murdoch and Britain’s colourful Ellis Ashmead Bartlett, will be announced soon.
FullClip, the production company formed by Worthington, and Matchbox Pictures, producers of The Slap, The Straits and Underground, will produce the mini-series. Award- winning US based Australian director Michael Rymer will direct Deadline Gallipoli.
Rymer’s recent credits include the US dramas American Horror Story, The Killing, Longmire, Hannibal and the critically-acclaimed Battlestar Gallactica TV series. His Australian credits include the feature film Angel Baby.
Joining Worthington as Executive Producers are Penny Chapman of Matchbox Pictures; John Schwarz of FullClip; and Penny Win, Foxtel’s Commissioning Editor of Drama.
Deadline Gallipoli has been written by four of Australia's most exciting writers – Jacquelin Perske (Love My Way, Little Fish), Shaun Grant (Snowtown), Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrow When The War Began) and Cate Shortland (The Slap, Somersault, and the forthcoming Devil’s Playground).
South Australian Film Corporation Chair Judy Potter said: “We are thrilled the Deadline Gallipoli team has chosen South Australia to make this quality major television series. With the production based at Adelaide Studios we will be able to support the team from the ground up,ensuring they have access to everything they need including world class South Australian crew and cast who will be engaged on the project.”