Stephen Corvini.
Prolific drama producer Stephen Corvini is back in the independent sector after leaving Matchbox Pictures, his base for the past four and a half years.
Corvini, who plans to operate under the banner Live Wires, is developing several projects including a noir crime series created by Eddie Baroo and a drama based on the true story of a Melbourne man who was recruited by Mossad, the Israeli secret service.
As a producer and drama development executive at Matchbox Pictures he produced the upcoming Hungry Ghosts for SBS, Safe Harbour for SBS and Hulu, Secret City 2 – Under the Eagle for Foxtel and Netflix, telemovie Oddlands, a collaboration with Back to Back Theatre for the ABC and the Adelaide Film Festival, and Hyde & Seek for the Nine Network.
Earlier in his career he produced the telemovie Schapelle for Nine, Better Man for SBS and Devil’s Dust for the ABC, and he was development producer on Mr & Mrs Murder for Network Ten.
Explaining his career move, the International Emmy Award winner for Safe Harbour tells IF: “Four and a half years is a long time in a fast-changing TV landscape. My ambition is to work with a wide variety of people rather than being tied to one production entity, and to work on projects that take me to a broader international destination.
“I want to tell powerful and relatable stories about who we are as Australians, which will inspire and provoke audiences.”
Entitled Prisoner X, the Mossad agent drama will be a co-production with Israel’s Keshet International, which supported the ABC/Blackfella Films’ Total Control via the Keshet International Content Fund.
Former ABC Foreign Correspondent reporter Trevor Bormann broke the story about Melbourne man and likely Mossad agent Ben Zygier, who died in mysterious circumstances in a Tel Aviv prison.
Given the international subject, Corvini believes the series would be a good fit with one of the streaming platforms.
Baroo, the actor and writer who co-scripted Justin McMillan’s debut feature Sweet River, conceived and has written a 10-episode series, working title Husk.
It’s described as the study of a man’s all-consuming ambition and the transformation he must go through to achieve success against the odds while trying to control addictive compulsions for danger.
Matt Nable, who worked with Corvini on Hyde & Seek and will play the lead, brought the project, then consisting of eight episodes, to the producer. Corvini was bowled over by the quality of the writing and encouraged Baroo to write two more eps.
He’s also writing a TV drama set in a courtroom, from the viewpoint of the jurors.