Nine has announced the premiere date for their new biopic, Warnie which shows the life and times of cricket and cultural icon Shane Warne. The 2 episode event premieres at 7:00 pm on Sunday, June 25 and 7:30 pm on Monday, June 26 at 7:30 pm on Channel Nine and 9Now.
The biopic is set to bring viewers behind the scenes of Warne’s life, showing how a kid from Black Rock – who made his living as a cricketer – came to be so famous and mourned by people from around the globe.
Viewers will also see how Warne’s gift of spin-bowling changed the game of cricket and how when he started playing, he turned the game on its head as well as show how he battled serious injury and fell out of favour and fought his way back.
When the two-part series was announced, Shane Warne’s eldest daughter Brooke Warne took to social media to speak out against plans to dramatise her father’s life, calling Channel Nine “beyond disrespectful” in an Instagram story.
The 9Network said, “During pre-production, the 9Network and Screentime have met with the Warne family who have offered their support for the series. The 9Network looks forward to collaborating with the family as filming continues.”
Warnie stars Alex Williams (Underground: The Julian Assange Story, The Heights) as Shane Warne, Anthony Hayes (Gold, Light Between Oceans) and Marny Kennedy (Between Two Worlds, Janet King).
The supporting cast includes Jacquie Brennan (Wentworth, Informer 3838), Jeremy Stanford (Winners & Losers, Wentworth), Ben Hall (Neighbours, Devil’s Playground), Tom Stokes (The Railway Man, Equals), Darcy Kent (New Gold Mountain, Spreadsheet), and newcomer Shanti Kali.
Warnie is produced for the 9Network by Screentime, a Banijay company, in association with VicScreen.
Warnie premieres Sunday, June 25 at 7:00 pm and Monday, June 26 at 7:30 pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.