NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan on set with Miquel Ferrer, Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen.
NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan is returning to Australia in a bid to fundamentally change the way productions are funded and developed in his home country.
Brennan, one Australia’s most successful television exports, has told IF he wants to kickstart a new era in Australia with a “unique system” and a “large amount of finance”.
Dubbed the hardest working man in Hollywood, he was showrunner of both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles for two years.
The 59-year-old Victorian, who left for the US in 2003, has executive produced more than 300 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS.
Brennan, whose Australian writing credits include A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers, Stingers and Mcleod’s Daughters, had more than 400 hours’ worth of production credits when he left for the US in 2003.
He is now into his seventh season as showrunner of NCIS: Los Angeles, and has just sold two dramas through his CBS Studios-based production company, Shane Brennan Productions.
The first, Freeman was to CBS, while CW bought Bob the Valkyrie. He also now waiting to hear from Fox on the Sylvester Stallone executive produced, The Expendables, based on the hit movie franchise.
The last of his four projects in development is an adaptation of Ian McDonald’s science fiction novel, Luna, which could be heading to Australia for production. Brennan will write the adaptation.
Now, as one of Australia’s most successful television writers, he is heading home in a bid to change a production funding and development model he sees as antiquated and producer-heavy.
“When I look at funding bodies in Australia, it reminds me that it hasn’t changed,” he said.
“The money is not going to the right people. Too much money goes to producers and the money is not being spent where it should be spent. Everything is slanted to the producer and that needs to change.”
Shane Brennan with LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell on the set of NCIS: Los Angeles.
Brennan, who started his career as a journalist on the Bendigo Advertiser and then the ABC, said he wants to move the industry forward by helping Australians develop entertainment for a global market.
“I will make an announcement at the National Screen Writers’ Conference and the Australian Writers’ Guild will also be making an announcement about an interesting opportunity for the industry, which will have a unique structure and a large amount of finance,” he said.
“I am prepared to put some money back into the industry to try and kick start change. It’s a genuine attempt to try and move the industry forward. Nothing to my mind seems to have changed and we are missing an opportunity.
“If I can inject some money into the way we develop material and bring some expertise to that and make them think outside the box it might be enough to have the funding bodies think in that direction as well.”
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