Production is underway in Sydney on eight-part Netflix comedy drama Wellmania, led by Celeste Barber.
As IF has reported, the Fremantle Australia-produced series is inspired by author and journalist Brigid Delaney’s book Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness, and is co-created with Benjamin Law.
Barber plays Liv Healy, a ‘human tornado’ forced to rethink her ‘live fast die young’ attitude following a major health crisis.
Throwing herself body-first into a wellness journey, she tries everything from the benign to the bizarre in an attempt to get well quickly, and reclaim her old life.
Announced today to be joining Barber in the cast are JJ Fong, as an investigative journalist and Liv’s best friend Amy Kwan; Genevieve Mooy, as Liv’s mum Lorraine; Lachlan Buchanan as Liv’s brother, Gaz, and Remy Hii as Gaz’s fiancé, Dalbert Tan.
Alexander Hodge will play Liv’s love interest Isaac Huang; Simone Kessell is Helen King, editor-in-chief of The Sydney Standard; Virginie Laverdure is Liv’s New York editor Valerie Jones and Johnny Carr is Amy’s husband, Doug Henderson.
The series will also include appearances from Miranda Otto, Leah Vandenberg and Aden Young.
Directing episodes 1-4 is Erin White, while Helena Brooks directs eps 5-8. Heads of department include director of photography Dan Freene, production designer Roslyn Durnford, costume designer Gypsy Taylor, hair and makeup designer Jennifer Lamphee and casting director Marianne Jade of Maura Fay Casting.
Barber is executive producer with Warren Clarke, with Bree-Anne Sykes producer. Law and Belinda King are co-EPs.
Romina Accurso is script producer and writer, Rachel Laverty is script editor with Nick Coyle and Amy Stewart also serving as writers.
Fremantle Australia is also producing Heartbreak High for Netflix, and the Fremantle-owned Eureka Productions is behind the streamer’s recent “docusoap” Byron Baes.
Other upcoming local commissions for the streamer include Irreverent (a co-order with NBC’s Peacock), produced by Matchbox Pictures and NBCUniversal International Studios, and the recently announced Boy Swallows Universe, from Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Gabrielle Tana’s newly-formed outfit, Brouhaha Entertainment.