Stan has announced it has acquired the series Nautilus, starring Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery) and Australian actress Georgia Flood (Apples Never Fall). Anna Torv and Noah Taylor also make guest appearances.
Disney commissioned the series in 2021, but never screened it after a change of strategy at Disney+. Disney Entertainment has got some return for the project though through deals with a number of platforms including AMC in the UK and Prime Video in the US and Canada. Nautilus premieres in the UK and Ireland at the end of October. Stan has not revealed a date for Australia yet.
The Australian cast also includes Tyrone Ngatai, Andrew Shaw, Benedict Hardie (Stan Original Film Poker Face), Jacob Collins-Levy (Stan Original Series Prosper), Luke Arnold (Stan Original Series Scrublands) and Damien Garvey.
Nautilus tells Jules Verne’s epic story Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea from Captain Nemo’s point of view: an Indian Prince robbed of his birthright and family, a prisoner of the East India Mercantile Company and a man bent on revenge against the forces that have taken everything from him.
Stan chief content officer Cailah Scobie said in a statement: “A sweeping sci-fi drama adapted from an iconic and well-loved novel, Nautilus is an exciting new addition to our content slate. As always, Stan is committed to supporting the Australian screen industry and bringing premium content to the platform, and Nautilus’ high calibre is a testament to the hundreds of talented cast and creatives who worked on the series during its production in Queensland. We thank Screen Queensland, Disney and the producers Moonriver TV and Seven Stories, and look forward to sharing Nautilus with Australian audiences when it sets sail soon.”
Moonriver TV’s Xavier Marchand and Seven Stories’ Anand Tucker said: “We had a fabulous time shooting Nautilus on the Gold Coast. The professionalism, craftsmanship and excellence of the cast and crews from Queensland and other parts of Australia were second to none. It was a pleasure working with such experienced, high spirited and hard working teams. We also had great work done by the local VFX companies and great support from Screen Queensland and The City of Gold Coast. We are thrilled that Stan is bringing the Nautilus to Australian audiences.”
Jacqui Feeney, Screen Queensland CEO added: “We welcome Stan’s acquisition of Nautilus and we are pleased that Australian audiences will be able to view this stunning series soon. Nautilus is one of the largest series to be made in Queensland and showcases the skill and artistry of hundreds of our local screen practitioners on an incredible scale.”
Nine Publishing reported during production, up to 550 cast and crew were involved and the project occupied three sound stages at Village Roadshow Studios. At a cost of $300m, Nautilus is being called the most expensive TV production ever filmed in Australia.
Nautilus production notes
The 10-part series is developed and produced by Moonriver TV’s Xavier Marchand and Seven Stories’ Anand Tucker.
Written and executive produced by James Dormer and is executive produced by Johanna Devereaux, Chris Loveall, Colleen Woodcock and Daisy Gilbert.
Cameron Welsh serves as producer and Michael Matthews is the lead director.
Nautilus is distributed by Disney Entertainment and acknowledges the support from the Australian Government’s Location Incentive and from the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.
Digital and visual effects completed in Western Australia with support from Screenwest and the WA post-production, digital & visual effects incentive.