‘Romper Stomper’.
The TV series sequel to Geoffrey Wright’s 1992 movie Romper Stomper will screen on Sundance Channels in multiple territories outside the US.
International distributor DCD Rights announced the deal yesterday, the first for the six-part crime drama/political thriller produced by Roadshow Rough Diamond’s John Edwards and Dan Edwards.
Stan commissioned the series directed by Wright, Daina Reid and James Napier Robertson, with scripts by Wright, Robertson, author/poet/rapper Omar Musa and journalist Malcolm Knox.
SundanceTV Global acquired the rights for Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Dutch-speaking Benelux, Iberia, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
DCD Rights CEO Nicky Davies Williams said she is looking forward to introducing the “atmospheric and unflinching contemporary series” to international buyers at Mipcom next month.
“The drama promises to deliver a much more complex peeling of the political onion than the original movie, offering a startlingly new perspective from all sides, and an even-handed, fictional interpretation of issues faced by many countries in the world today, making it hugely relevant for a global audience,” she said.
Edwards tells IF there is plenty of interest from other territories, observing, “I don’t think there are many other shows around the world that are dealing with these issues.”
He will cut a promo reel with content from episode one for DCD Rights to show buyers at Mipcom and will deliver the series in December.
Wright’s debut movie starred Russell Crowe as Hando, the ringleader of a group of ultra-violent neo-Nazi skinheads, together with Jacqueline McKenzie and the late Daniel Pollock.
The series follows the survivors and descendants of the characters in the movie 25 years later. Toby Wallace plays Hando’s son, who is estranged from his mother (McKenzie) and seizes control of a far-right group named Patriot Blue.
Lachy Hulme plays the group’s leader, David Wenham is a right-wing shock jock and Dan Wyllie reprises his role from the film as Cackles, a man who turns out to be a lot smarter than he seemed. The cast includes Sophie Lowe and John Brumpton, who played Magoo in the film.