When Foxtel first began to craft with Fremantle Wentworth back in 2011, the hope was it would sit comfortably alongside the service’s premium HBO and BBC dramas.
While based on Reg Watson’s long-running ’80s drama Prisoner, and suitably honouring its legacy, it was not designed to a be remake. The desire was to see a modern reimagining of the characters; one that was ambitious and bold.
“We wanted to make something great for Foxtel and set the bar high. It was all part of our hopes for what we could do in the future,” executive producer and former Foxtel head of drama Penny Win recalls to If.
Originally created by Lara Radulovich and David Hannam, Fremantle Australia CEO Ian Hogg pitched Foxtel director of television Brian Walsh the series over a meal in Cannes.
By December that year, early plotting was underway, with journalist and critics Michael Idato and...
While based on Reg Watson’s long-running ’80s drama Prisoner, and suitably honouring its legacy, it was not designed to a be remake. The desire was to see a modern reimagining of the characters; one that was ambitious and bold.
“We wanted to make something great for Foxtel and set the bar high. It was all part of our hopes for what we could do in the future,” executive producer and former Foxtel head of drama Penny Win recalls to If.
Originally created by Lara Radulovich and David Hannam, Fremantle Australia CEO Ian Hogg pitched Foxtel director of television Brian Walsh the series over a meal in Cannes.
By December that year, early plotting was underway, with journalist and critics Michael Idato and...
- 10/26/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Wentworth season 4.
.
Wentworth season 4 is set to make its Australian premiere on May 10.
The show, adapted from Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986, is a FremantleMedia Australia production for Foxtel and has been sold to more than 90 countries.
The story resumes four months after the events seen in the fiery season three finale..
The women of H block are returning to Wentworth Correctional Centre to find a new dynamic is in play which will have immediate ramifications for Bea as Kaz Proctor has established a power base..
On the outside, Franky is trying hard to be a productive member of society..
As always, no-one should underestimate .the Freak..
Notions of love and obsession will underpin the 12 episode season.
Wentworth season 4 stars Danielle Cormack as Bea Smith, Nicole da Silva as Franky Doyle, Pamela Rabe as Joan Ferguson, Kate Atkinson as Vera Bennett, Celia Ireland as Liz Birdsworth, Shareena Clanton as Doreen Anderson,...
.
Wentworth season 4 is set to make its Australian premiere on May 10.
The show, adapted from Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986, is a FremantleMedia Australia production for Foxtel and has been sold to more than 90 countries.
The story resumes four months after the events seen in the fiery season three finale..
The women of H block are returning to Wentworth Correctional Centre to find a new dynamic is in play which will have immediate ramifications for Bea as Kaz Proctor has established a power base..
On the outside, Franky is trying hard to be a productive member of society..
As always, no-one should underestimate .the Freak..
Notions of love and obsession will underpin the 12 episode season.
Wentworth season 4 stars Danielle Cormack as Bea Smith, Nicole da Silva as Franky Doyle, Pamela Rabe as Joan Ferguson, Kate Atkinson as Vera Bennett, Celia Ireland as Liz Birdsworth, Shareena Clanton as Doreen Anderson,...
- 3/29/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Sigrid Thornton has joined the cast of Wentworth Season 4, which will premiere on Foxtel in 2016.
Thornton is the first actress to have starred in the original Prisoner series to join the cast of Wentworth..
However, rather than reprising her previous character Ros Coulson, she enters the prison as Sonia Stevens - a new character partially inspired by one originally played by Tina Bursill.
Thornton plays a wealthy but self-made dynamo behind a cosmetics empire. .
She comes into the prison on remand, suspected of the murder of a missing woman.
Foxtel head of drama Penny Win said the fourth season continued the series. finely-honed evolution as a world class contemporary drama which proudly forges its own path.
.Having Sigrid Thornton sign on to return behind the walls of Wentworth is a casting dream and a wonderful acknowledgement of the work the writing team has put into the creation of Sonia Stevens...
Thornton is the first actress to have starred in the original Prisoner series to join the cast of Wentworth..
However, rather than reprising her previous character Ros Coulson, she enters the prison as Sonia Stevens - a new character partially inspired by one originally played by Tina Bursill.
Thornton plays a wealthy but self-made dynamo behind a cosmetics empire. .
She comes into the prison on remand, suspected of the murder of a missing woman.
Foxtel head of drama Penny Win said the fourth season continued the series. finely-honed evolution as a world class contemporary drama which proudly forges its own path.
.Having Sigrid Thornton sign on to return behind the walls of Wentworth is a casting dream and a wonderful acknowledgement of the work the writing team has put into the creation of Sonia Stevens...
- 11/5/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Production started this week on season four of Foxtel and FremantleMedia Australia.s drama Wentworth.
The cast and crew are settling in to a new location and studio in Melbourne.s western suburbs to shoot the 12 episode season.
Wentworth.s S4 cast includes Danielle Cormack (Bea Smith), Pamela Rabe (Joan Ferguson), Kate Atkinson (Vera Bennett), Nicole da Silva (Franky Doyle), Celia Ireland (Liz Birdsworth), Shareena Clanton (Doreen Anderson), Katrina Milosevic (Sue .Boomer. Jenkins), Robbie Magasiva (Will Jackson), Socratis Otto (Maxine Conway), Tammy MacIntosh (Kaz Proctor), and Libby Tanner (Bridget Westfall).
.As the story resumes, Bea and her cell-block mates are returning to Wentworth after the fire and rebuilding of H Block to find a new dynamic in play with a new contender for Top Dog. On the outside, Franky is trying hard to be a productive member of society. As always, no-one should underestimate .the Freak...
.Wentworth is a FremantleMedia Australia...
The cast and crew are settling in to a new location and studio in Melbourne.s western suburbs to shoot the 12 episode season.
Wentworth.s S4 cast includes Danielle Cormack (Bea Smith), Pamela Rabe (Joan Ferguson), Kate Atkinson (Vera Bennett), Nicole da Silva (Franky Doyle), Celia Ireland (Liz Birdsworth), Shareena Clanton (Doreen Anderson), Katrina Milosevic (Sue .Boomer. Jenkins), Robbie Magasiva (Will Jackson), Socratis Otto (Maxine Conway), Tammy MacIntosh (Kaz Proctor), and Libby Tanner (Bridget Westfall).
.As the story resumes, Bea and her cell-block mates are returning to Wentworth after the fire and rebuilding of H Block to find a new dynamic in play with a new contender for Top Dog. On the outside, Franky is trying hard to be a productive member of society. As always, no-one should underestimate .the Freak...
.Wentworth is a FremantleMedia Australia...
- 8/14/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
The second series of ABC1.s Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries begins shooting in Melbourne this week.
The 13-part series stars Essie Davis (The Slap, cloudstreet) as detective Phryne Fisher alongside Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues, Dance Academy), Nathan Page (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Redfern Now), Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Rake, cloudstreet), Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter The Chamber of Secrets), Tammy MacIntosh (Crownies, East West 101), Travis McMahon (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War), Anthony Sharpe (City Homicide), and Richard Bligh (The Mystery of a Hansom Cab).
Davis'.performance in the first series was recently recognised with an Aacta.nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
The second series of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries is based on a number of Kerry Greenwood.s Phryne stories: the Dead Man.s Chest and.Unnatural Habits novels, and various short stories; as well as new crimes from the creators of series one.
The 13-part series stars Essie Davis (The Slap, cloudstreet) as detective Phryne Fisher alongside Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues, Dance Academy), Nathan Page (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Redfern Now), Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Rake, cloudstreet), Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter The Chamber of Secrets), Tammy MacIntosh (Crownies, East West 101), Travis McMahon (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War), Anthony Sharpe (City Homicide), and Richard Bligh (The Mystery of a Hansom Cab).
Davis'.performance in the first series was recently recognised with an Aacta.nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
The second series of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries is based on a number of Kerry Greenwood.s Phryne stories: the Dead Man.s Chest and.Unnatural Habits novels, and various short stories; as well as new crimes from the creators of series one.
- 2/17/2013
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
The second series of ABC1.s Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries begins shooting in Melbourne this week.
The 13-part series stars Essie Davis (The Slap, cloudstreet) as detective Phryne Fisher alongside Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues, Dance Academy), Nathan Page (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Redfern Now), Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Rake, cloudstreet), Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter The Chamber of Secrets), Tammy MacIntosh (Crownies, East West 101), Travis McMahon (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War), Anthony Sharpe (City Homicide), and Richard Bligh (The Mystery of a Hansom Cab).
Davis'.performance in the first series was recently recognised with an Aacta.nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
The second series of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries is based on a number of Kerry Greenwood.s Phryne stories: the Dead Man.s Chest and.Unnatural Habits novels, and various short stories; as well as new crimes from the creators of series one.
The 13-part series stars Essie Davis (The Slap, cloudstreet) as detective Phryne Fisher alongside Ashleigh Cummings (Puberty Blues, Dance Academy), Nathan Page (Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, Redfern Now), Hugo Johnstone-Burt (Rake, cloudstreet), Miriam Margolyes (Harry Potter The Chamber of Secrets), Tammy MacIntosh (Crownies, East West 101), Travis McMahon (Howzat! Kerry Packer.s War), Anthony Sharpe (City Homicide), and Richard Bligh (The Mystery of a Hansom Cab).
Davis'.performance in the first series was recently recognised with an Aacta.nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama.
The second series of Miss Fisher.s Murder Mysteries is based on a number of Kerry Greenwood.s Phryne stories: the Dead Man.s Chest and.Unnatural Habits novels, and various short stories; as well as new crimes from the creators of series one.
- 2/17/2013
- by Brendan Swift
- IF.com.au
I know we’re all sick and tired of fairy-tales adaptations, but this one is definitely something special. Maybe because Julia Leigh’s Sleeping Beauty actually has nothing to do with that old sleeping blonde that we’re all used to.
So, we’re here to share the first trailer for this movie and of course to have a little chat about Leigh’s upcoming “dark psychosexual drama” that will play In Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Here’s the synopsis part for Sleeping Beauty: “You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed.” Death-haunted, quietly reckless, Lucy is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty.
In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s...
So, we’re here to share the first trailer for this movie and of course to have a little chat about Leigh’s upcoming “dark psychosexual drama” that will play In Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Here’s the synopsis part for Sleeping Beauty: “You will go to sleep: you will wake up. It will be as if those hours never existed.” Death-haunted, quietly reckless, Lucy is a young university student who takes a job as a Sleeping Beauty.
In the Sleeping Beauty Chamber old men seek an erotic experience that requires Lucy’s absolute submission. This unsettling task starts to bleed into Lucy’s...
- 4/15/2011
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
I am starting to become a fan of Sucker Punch star Emily Browning. I liked her in Snyder’s film, while it is cool to see her grow as an actress. That is why I was intrigued when I saw this trailer for Sleeping Beauty, which will be at Cannes Film Festival this year. Originally Mia Wasikowska was to be in the film, but Browning replaced her. In the film it seems that she is reprising her ‘Punch role of sorts, hopping through strange surreal worlds and stuff like she did in Snyder’s girl power film. Now in a more contemporary setting, she stars in director Julia Leigh’s dark, dramatic contemporary retelling of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The story follows Lucy, a young university student who is pulled into a mysterious and hidden world of beauty and desire. The first trailer has been released featuring the...
- 4/15/2011
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
Scream 4
Opens: April 15th 2011
Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Mary McDonnell, Emma Roberts Director: Wes Craven
Summary: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with family and friends, but it also brings about the return of Ghostface which puts the whole town in danger.
Analysis: Back in late 1996 when I first began covering film news, "Scream" was released and became more than just a sleeper hit. After years of genre movies being relegated to direct-to-video status, this comedic slasher spawned the biggest surge in the horror film genre since "Halloween" almost two decades before. Its post-modern stylings and witty self-aware dialogue went on to be a big influence on films and television in general.
Yet the "Scream" series itself never could quite capture that glory again. By the time the...
Opens: April 15th 2011
Cast: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Mary McDonnell, Emma Roberts Director: Wes Craven
Summary: Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with family and friends, but it also brings about the return of Ghostface which puts the whole town in danger.
Analysis: Back in late 1996 when I first began covering film news, "Scream" was released and became more than just a sleeper hit. After years of genre movies being relegated to direct-to-video status, this comedic slasher spawned the biggest surge in the horror film genre since "Halloween" almost two decades before. Its post-modern stylings and witty self-aware dialogue went on to be a big influence on films and television in general.
Yet the "Scream" series itself never could quite capture that glory again. By the time the...
- 3/8/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Hangover: Part Two
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
- 1/4/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Hoyts Distribution has announced that A Heartbeat Away will have a wide release on March 3, 2011.
“Hoyts Distribution and we filmmakers see A Heartbeat Away as a multiplex film, ” producer Chris Fitchett told Encore in February.
A Heartbeat Away is theatre director Gale Edwards’ first film. It was shot in Brisbane and financed by Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Cutting Edge and UK’s Quickfire Films.
Chris Fitchett produces, alongside executive producers Chris Brown (Pictures in Paradise), John Lee (Cutting Edge), Gary Hamilton and James Atherton (Arclight Films).
The story is about an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father’s marching band just weeks before a major competition. The cast includes Isabel Lucas, Sebastian Gregory, Williams Zappa, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels.
“Hoyts Distribution and we filmmakers see A Heartbeat Away as a multiplex film, ” producer Chris Fitchett told Encore in February.
A Heartbeat Away is theatre director Gale Edwards’ first film. It was shot in Brisbane and financed by Screen Australia, Screen Queensland, Cutting Edge and UK’s Quickfire Films.
Chris Fitchett produces, alongside executive producers Chris Brown (Pictures in Paradise), John Lee (Cutting Edge), Gary Hamilton and James Atherton (Arclight Films).
The story is about an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father’s marching band just weeks before a major competition. The cast includes Isabel Lucas, Sebastian Gregory, Williams Zappa, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels.
- 9/1/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Isabel Lucas has make a leap from blockbuster action fantasy to feel-good musical comedy with "A Heartbeat Away". The actress known for her Alice role in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has been tapped as the leading lady for this major Queensland film production by Emmy Award-winning Australian theater director Gale Edwards.
What part she will be playing in the movie has yet to be disclosed. Nonetheless, she will take a part in the story that revolves around an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father's marching band just four weeks before a major competition. She is joined by Sebastian Gregory, Williams Zappa, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels in the cast ensemble.
"A Heartbeat Away" is produced by Chris Fitchet and marked Gale Edwards' directorial debut in feature film. Of the movie, the helmer said, "It's a charming, funny and moving...
What part she will be playing in the movie has yet to be disclosed. Nonetheless, she will take a part in the story that revolves around an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father's marching band just four weeks before a major competition. She is joined by Sebastian Gregory, Williams Zappa, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels in the cast ensemble.
"A Heartbeat Away" is produced by Chris Fitchet and marked Gale Edwards' directorial debut in feature film. Of the movie, the helmer said, "It's a charming, funny and moving...
- 2/16/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
Isabel Lucas has landed a role in a new musical comedy entitled "A Heartbeat Away". It has not been known what role which is played by the Australia-born actress in this film debut for Emmy Award winning Australian theater director Gale Edwards, but she will share screen with the likes of Sebastian Gregory, Williams Zappa, Tammy Macintosh and Colin Friels.
"A Heartbeat Away" tells the story of an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father's marching band just weeks before a major competition. "It's a charming, funny and moving human story with some interesting deeper layers," Edwards claims about her new project. The shooting for the film has been kicked off on Monday, February 15 in Brisbane for a 2011 release.
Isabel Lucas, who has her first television role when playing Tasha Andrews in "Home and Away", appears as Alice in box office movie...
"A Heartbeat Away" tells the story of an aspiring rock guitarist who is forced to take over the musical direction of his father's marching band just weeks before a major competition. "It's a charming, funny and moving human story with some interesting deeper layers," Edwards claims about her new project. The shooting for the film has been kicked off on Monday, February 15 in Brisbane for a 2011 release.
Isabel Lucas, who has her first television role when playing Tasha Andrews in "Home and Away", appears as Alice in box office movie...
- 2/16/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
DVD Playhouse—December 2009
By
Allen Gardner
Public Enemies (Universal) Johnny Depp portrays legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in co- writer/director Michael Mann’s take on America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” Like many big studio releases today, Public Enemies has it all: A-list talent before and behind the camera, but lacks a heart or soul that allows its audience to connect with it. Film plays out like a “true crime” TV show with re-enactments of famous events cast with top actors and shot by the best technicians in the business, with little, if any, character or story development to hold it together in between. A real disappointment from one of our finest filmmakers and finest actors. The lone standout: the great character actor Stephen Lang as a hard-eyed lawman who’s seen a lot, but manages to retain a tiny piece of his heart. For a better take on the same subject,...
By
Allen Gardner
Public Enemies (Universal) Johnny Depp portrays legendary Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger in co- writer/director Michael Mann’s take on America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” Like many big studio releases today, Public Enemies has it all: A-list talent before and behind the camera, but lacks a heart or soul that allows its audience to connect with it. Film plays out like a “true crime” TV show with re-enactments of famous events cast with top actors and shot by the best technicians in the business, with little, if any, character or story development to hold it together in between. A real disappointment from one of our finest filmmakers and finest actors. The lone standout: the great character actor Stephen Lang as a hard-eyed lawman who’s seen a lot, but manages to retain a tiny piece of his heart. For a better take on the same subject,...
- 12/19/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
A long-running, picturesque television series centered on an all-female workforce who come together in fellowship to revive the fortunes of the flagging Drover's Run cattle ranch, McLeod's Daughters is considered something of a national treasure in it's native Australia. After eight successful seasons culminated earlier this year with the show's 224th and final episode (how many U.S. shows make it that far?), we are treated to this DVD re-release of the 1996 television movie where the journey first began.
A good old fashioned melodrama set against the gorgeous backdrop of big sky country, McLeod's Daughters is a wildly uneven affair where some solid performances by the female leads are consistently undermined by poor scripting, an overblown soundtrack, and the sadly all too frequent intrusion by moments of appalling technical incompetence. The story begins with city-girl Tess (Kym Wilson) making the long journey into the heartland to deliver news to her estranged father,...
A good old fashioned melodrama set against the gorgeous backdrop of big sky country, McLeod's Daughters is a wildly uneven affair where some solid performances by the female leads are consistently undermined by poor scripting, an overblown soundtrack, and the sadly all too frequent intrusion by moments of appalling technical incompetence. The story begins with city-girl Tess (Kym Wilson) making the long journey into the heartland to deliver news to her estranged father,...
- 12/8/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- JustPressPlay.net
A long-running, picturesque television series centered on an all-female workforce who come together in fellowship to revive the fortunes of the flagging Drover's Run cattle ranch, McLeod's Daughters is considered something of a national treasure in it's native Australia. After eight successful seasons culminated earlier this year with the show's 224th and final episode (how many U.S. shows make it that far?), we are treated to this DVD re-release of the 1996 television movie where the journey first began.
A good old fashioned melodrama set against the gorgeous backdrop of big sky country, McLeod's Daughters is a wildly uneven affair where some solid performances by the female leads are consistently undermined by poor scripting, an overblown soundtrack, and the sadly all too frequent intrusion by moments of appalling technical incompetence. The story begins with city-girl Tess (Kym Wilson) making the long journey into the heartland to deliver news to her estranged father,...
A good old fashioned melodrama set against the gorgeous backdrop of big sky country, McLeod's Daughters is a wildly uneven affair where some solid performances by the female leads are consistently undermined by poor scripting, an overblown soundtrack, and the sadly all too frequent intrusion by moments of appalling technical incompetence. The story begins with city-girl Tess (Kym Wilson) making the long journey into the heartland to deliver news to her estranged father,...
- 12/8/2009
- by Neil Pedley
- JustPressPlay.net
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