The Foxtel Group, in partnership with Screen Australia, VicScreen and Curio Pictures, has announced a new original series High Country. The eight-part mystery thriller will star Leah Purcell (The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, Wentworth), Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road, Jack Irish), Sara Wiseman (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, A Place to Call Home) and Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones, Derry Girls). Production will commence in Victoria in April.
The series was commissioned by Foxtel’s Brian Walsh. After successful collaborations on series including Wentworth and Picnic at Hanging Rock, it sees executive producer Jo Porter again working with the Foxtel Group.
After producing Wentworth and Picnic at Hanging Rock for Fremantle, Porter is now managing director of Curio Pictures. The production house is the rebranded Playmaker business and is owned by Sony Pictures Television.
High Country synopsis
When detective Andrea (Andie) Whitford (Leah Purcell) is transferred to the Victorian High Country, she is thrust into a baffling mystery of five missing persons who have vanished into the wilderness. Through an edge-of-the-seat, high-stakes investigation, Andie uncovers a complex web involving murder, deceit and revenge.
High Country: Sara Wiseman, Leah Purcell and Aaron Pedersen
Location and production notes
High Country will be set and filmed in a region of Victoria rarely captured on screen with the epic, ancient landscape of conflicting mythologies and stark contrasts set to become a character itself.
Foxtel Group chief content and commercial officer, Amanda Laing, said: “High Country is an original Australian story inspired by the cultures, identities and landscapes of the Victorian Alps – a setting rarely seen on screen.
“Foxtel Group remains committed to investing in high-quality Australian content and is thrilled to partner with Screen Australia, VicScreen and Curio Pictures on High Country so viewers in Australia and around the world can enjoy this authentically Australian story – filled with twists and turns, mystery and an undeniable sense of place.”
Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason, said: “We are proud to support this exceptionally strong creative team to bring to life a fast-paced thriller with complex, real characters and a well-crafted script that will keep viewers hooked. Set against the vast, majestic landscape of the Victorian Alps and weaving in First Nations cultural stories, High Country is sure to be a landmark television series.”
Lead actor and executive producer, Leah Purcell, said: “The opportunity to act and work alongside the talented creative team and my amazing co-stars is incredible. I can’t wait to go to work in the Victorian Alps delving into scripts with adventurous and thrilling storylines. I look forward to bringing this first-class new series to local and international audiences where Country and Australian-ness are central to the story.”
Curio Pictures managing director, Jo Porter, said: “High Country got under our skin from the moment creators Marcia Gardner and John Ridley first described their ambition to create a unique series that redefined and played with the mystery thriller genre. They have delivered a compelling mix of edge-of-the-seat storytelling set in a beguiling landscape, together with an engrossing journey for the central character created with, and for, the indomitable Leah Purcell.
“Creative director Rachel Gardner and I are delighted to be working again with Penny Win and the Foxtel Group, producers Pino Amenta and Sue Edwards and the whole talented cast and crew. We can’t wait to get started.”
Production credits
High Country is a Curio Pictures production for the Foxtel Group, commissioned by Brian Walsh. Major production investment from Screen Australia and Foxtel Group in association with VicScreen.
Created by Marcia Gardner and John Ridley, the eight-part series will be produced by Curio Pictures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television (SPT), worldwide distributor for the series, in association with Rage Media. Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner from Curio Pictures are Executive Producers with Pino Amenta and Sue Edwards as Producers along with Executive Producers Marcia Gardner and John Ridley who are also the key writers of the series. Executive Producer for the Foxtel Group is Penny Win.
Photos: Narelle Portanier
See also:
Wentworth EP Jo Porter on The Freak, new cast & filming during Covid
Production company rebrand: Playmaker becomes Curio Pictures under Jo Porter