Top End Wedding stars Miranda Tapsell and Gwilym Lee are set for a return as loved-up couple Lauren and Ned in Prime Video spin-off series Top End Bub, to be filmed in South Australia and the Northern Territory from next month.
Tapsell and fellow Top End Wedding scribe Joshua Tyler are creators, executive producers, and writers for the eight-part romantic comedy that picks up with dynamic Indigenous lawyer Lauren and her handsome husband Ned as they settle into married life in Adelaide.
However, after Lauren’s eight-year-old niece is orphaned, the couple reluctantly abandon their big-city goals and move to the Top End to raise the child. While Lauren and Ned juggle the responsibility of becoming unexpected parents and trying to keep their marriage together, Lauren must come to terms with her responsibilities within her culture as she transforms from an individualist to the linchpin of her family.
Christiaan Van Vuuren and Shari Sebbens are directing the series, with Rosemary Blight executive producing for Goalpost Pictures, and ZDF Studios handling international distribution. Screen Australia, Screen Territory, and South Australian Film Corporation support the production.
Directed by Wayne Blair, Top End Wedding followed the couple in a quest to reunite Lauren’s family and make their dream wedding a reality. The romantic comedy amassed more than $5 million in Australian cinemas upon its release to become the year’s second highest grosser behind Ride Like a Girl.
Tapsell was pleased to continue the story and find out what happens “after happily ever after”.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am to bring Lauren, Ned, and the Top End back to your screens,” she said.
Tyler said it was fun diving back into the Top End Wedding world.
“[It’s] a romantic setting full of funny characters who face heartbreaking challenges in heartwarming ways,” he said.
“I am thrilled to be collaborating with such an incredible team.”
Amazon MGM Studios senior development executive Sarah Christie said Tapsell and Tyler had created a series that “spoke straight to the heart and celebrated the messiness and beauty of family, love, and community”.
“Prime Video is proud to be bringing back the beloved, hilarious, and heart-warming characters of Top End Wedding with the television spin-off Top End Bub for Prime members in Australia and New Zealand,” she said.