‘The Bureau of Magical Things’.
A second season of Jonathan M. Shiff’s AACTA Award-winning children’s series The Bureau of Magical Things will enter production next month in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
With major investment from distributor ZDF Enterprises, Screen Queensland and Screen Australia, the series will air on Network 10 locally, as well ZDF Germany and Nickelodeon, who previously bought the first season for the US and 170 other territories.
The 20-part second season will continues the adventures of Kyra, a teenage girl who acquired magical powers when caught in a clash between an elf and a fairy. In this new series, when Kyra and Darra embark on a quest to find a legendary lost temple, Kyra’s orb magic accidentally awakens a dangerous object causing fairy and elf magic to malfunction. As the danger escalates, Kyra must risk everything to deal with a threat that endangers the entire magical world and brings her own identity into question.
Production will continue until July 2020, produced by Stuart Wood, directed by Evan Clarry, Grant Brown and Martha Goddard. Writers include Evan Clarry, Alexa Wyatt, Vicki Englund, Phil Enchelmaier, Sam Carroll and John Thomson, working with story producer Mark Shirrefs and script editor Gina Roncoli.
The original cast is returning, led by Kimie Tsukakoshi as Kyra, siblings Elizabeth Cullen and Julian Cullen as elf brother and sister, and Mia Milnes and Rainbow Wedell as fairies. Jamie Carter plays Kyra’s human friend and now a member of ‘The Bureau’, while Arnijka Larcombe-Weate returns as Kyra’s problematic bestie oblivious to the magical world. They are joined by Christopher Sommers, Nicholas Bell, Steve Nation and Tasneem Roc. Overall, the production is expected to create 200 jobs for cast and crew.
Shiff said: “Australian children, like children all around the world, love fantasy, mystery and adventure. It’s wonderful to build on the success of the first series with a story more magical and more epic as our young heroes seek answers to their mystery not only in Australia but across South East Asia. The extraordinarily talented Queensland cast and crew, plus the stunning local locations continue to help us to achieve the highest quality production values for a global audience.”
ZDF Enterprises president and CEO Fred Burksen Said: “We have been working with Jonathan and his team for so many years, we consider them family. Side by side, we have managed to put smiles on the faces of children in almost every country on Earth. We are delighted that our extremely successful partnership with Jonathan M. Shiff Productions will now be continued with the second season of The Bureau of Magical Things.”