Foxtel will commence production on the final commission from late executive Brian Walsh this month, with Leah Purcell, Aaron Pedersen, Sara Wiseman, and Northern Irish actor Ian McElhinney heading to the Victorian Alps for the eight-part mystery thriller High Country.
Purcell plays Andrea (Andie) Whitford, a detective who is transferred to the Victorian High Country and thrust into a baffling mystery of five missing persons who have vanished into the wilderness. A high-stakes investigation uncovers a complex web involving murder, deceit, and revenge.
A Curio Pictures production for the Foxtel Group, High Country was created and written by Marcia Gardner and John Ridley, with the pair also executive producing alongside Jo Porter, Rachel Gardner, Purcell, and Foxtel Group’s Penny Win, while Pino Amenta and Sue Edwards are producers.
The project is backed by major production investment from Screen Australia, in assocation with VicScreen, and is expected to inject nearly $15 million into the state economy, as well as create 250 jobs.
Porter, who is managing director of Curio Pictures said the company boarded the series after Gardner and Ridley described their ambition to “create a unique series that redefined and played with the mystery thriller genre”.
“They have delivered a compelling mix of edge-of-the-seat storytelling set in a beguiling landscape, together with an engrossing journey for the central character created with, and for, the indomitable Leah Purcell.”
Purcell, who wrote, directed, produced and starred in last year’s The Drovers Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, said she looked forward to bringing the “first-class” series to local and international audiences.
“The opportunity to act and work alongside the talented creative team and my amazing co-stars is incredible,” she said.
“I can’t wait to go to work in the Victorian Alps delving into scripts with adventurous and thrilling storylines.”
Foxtel Group chief content and commercial officer, Amanda Laing described High Country as “an original Australian story inspired by the cultures, identities and landscapes of the Victorian Alps – a setting rarely seen on screen”.
High Country will air on Foxtel and Binge. A further announcement on the directors and remaining cast will be made in the coming weeks.