Writer-director Abe Forsythe has re-teamed with Made Up Stories to produce his next project, Stan and Peacock series Wolf Like Me, to star Isla Fisher and Josh Gad.
Due to shoot in Western Sydney and regional NSW in the coming months, the six-parter is based on Forsythe’s own experience as a 40-something single parent.
Wolf Like Me follows a new relationship between Gary (Gad) and Mary (Fisher), and the the baggage they each bring to it. Gary is an emotional wreck and struggles to provide for his daughter since the death of his wife. Mary has a secret she can’t bring herself to share with anyone. The universe brought these two together for a reason, they just need to keep following the signs.
Wolf Like Me is a reunion of sorts following on from Forysthe’s 2019 feature Little Monsters, also produced by Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Jodi Matterson, and which starred Gad.
Forsythe will direct all six episodes and EP with, Fisher, Gad, Papandrea, Hutensky and Matterson.
Forsythe said: “Wolf Like Me is a very meaningful project for me, the stakes are extremely high but grounded by things we can all relate to. I’m so excited to have Isla and Josh on board and I know the audience will be surprised seeing them in a different way as these characters. I was never going to tell this story with anyone other than Made Up Stories and I feel very fortunate for us all to be teaming up with Endeavor Content and to have found a home with Peacock and Stan.”
Matterson, Papandrea and Hutensky said: “After our partnership with Abe on Little Monsters, we were excited to find another project to collaborate on. Abe is just one of those rare talents, with an incredibly distinctive voice. As soon as he explained the concept for Wolf Like Me, we knew we had to be part of it. And we couldn’t be happier to have Isla Fisher and Josh Gad on board, they are perfect for the roles of Mary and Gary.”
The co-production between Stan and Peacock follows Stan signing a three-year content partnership with NBCUniversal in August 2020. Stan is the home of Peacock originals from Universal Studio Group and Dreamworks Animation TV in Australia, as well as productions from Sky Studios and NBCUniversal International Studios.
Stan chief content officer Nick Forward said: “Wolf Like Me promises to be a premium Australian made drama that will see Stan expand its partnership with NBCUniversal and Peacock. We look forward to seeing the talented production team at Made Up Stories, alongside Abe Forsythe, Josh Gad and Isla Fisher, bring this world-class Australian story to life.”
The series is financed with assistance from Screen NSW via the Made in NSW Fund. It is expected to bring $28.8 million in production expenditure to the state, and support more than 160 jobs for local cast and crew.