News

Ben Mingay.

Ben Mingay (Packed to the Rafters, Hacksaw Ridge) will star as Alan Bond in House of Bond, Nine's miniseries now in production.

House of Bond tells the tale of Australia.s most controversial tycoon, whose excesses ran to women, fame, money, crime and everything in between..

The mini-series co-stars Rachael Taylor (Jessica Jones) as Diana Bliss, Adrienne Pickering (Rake) as Eileen Bond and Sam Neill (House of Hancock) as Roland .Tiny. Rowland.

House of Bond is the rags-to-riches tale of Bond.s incredible rise and spectacular fall in the 1970s and 80s as the cheeky, knockabout .Ten Pound Pom. who fought his way from the back alleys of Fremantle to become the richest man in Australia and one of our greatest sporting heroes for winning the America.s Cup..

The series will also star Gyton Grantley, Samantha Jade, Anne Looby, John Howard, Johnny Ruffo, Roy Billing, Paul Gleeson and Jack Campbell.

Reg Cribb.

.

Playwright and screenwriter Reg Cribb is set to share his career highlights and talk about his current projects at a Screenworks event in Byron Bay.

Cribb, who recently won the Aacta award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his film adaptation of Last Cab to Darwin, will spend an evening .In Conversation. with local screenwriter and script editor Charlie de Salis at Sae Creative Institute on April 14.

Cribb will also talk about two projects he is currently working on in the Northern Rivers. .

Screenworks general manager, Ken Crouch, said there were many people in the community that would benefit from an evening with Reg Cribb.

.His numerous box office hits on stage and screen are evidence of how much Australian audiences love his work and we are very fortunate to have this talented writer take the time to talk with us about his craft and his career,. he said.

Principal photography has begun in Perth on a supernatural thriller, Foreshadow.

The film is produced by Estelle Buzzard’s Buzz Productions in partnership with Movierockets Entertainment and is directed by Carmelo Musca, written by Kris Lippert.

The shoot will run through until Friday 1 March.

The announcement:

Buzz Productions, in partnership with Movierockets Entertainment, today commenced principal photography in Perth, on its supernatural thriller Foreshadow.

Foreshadow tells the story of Jesse Milton (Justin Burford) who is living the high life – money, surf and a never-ending supply of hot dates – until he discovers his latest blonde bombshell dead. When the coroner rules out foul play and the police close their investigation, Jesse decides to go after the killer himself.

The predominantly Western Australian cast is led by Aria and Broadway Australia award winner Justin Burford (Rock of Ages), and two-time Logie nominee Myles Pollard (Drift, The Turning, McLeod’s Daughters).

They are supported by Andrea Addison (Raven,...

Principal photography on supernatural thriller Foreshadow has kicked off today in Perth. Starring Justin Burford (Rock of Ages) and Myles Pollard (Drift, The Turning) Foreshadow follows eternal bachelor Jesse Milton (Burford) whose too-good-to-be-true life is turned on its head when his latest girlfriend is discovered dead. Convinced she was murdered, Jesse sets out to find the killer himself, and comes up against demonic forces in the process. It is Burford.s first feature film role, though the pop star.s acting talents have been recognised in his turn in Rock of Ages, for which he gained five-star reviews. Joining Burford and Pollard in the cast are Andrea Addison (Raven, Bitter Art, Two Fists, One Heart), Ben Mortley (Drift, Lantana, Home and Away, McLeod.s Daughters), Ben Purser (Bitter Art, Underbelly), James Hagan (Little Sparrows, Needle, The Great Mint Swindle), Melanie Lyons (Little Sparrows, Cloudstreet, Lockie Leonard), Tawni Bryant (The Slap), Sam Devenport,...

The Australian Screen Editors’ Guild has added a new category to include online and new content streams to its awards night and announced the nominees for the 2012 Ase Awards.

The announcement:

The Australian Screen Editors’ (Ase) Guild is dedicated to the pursuit and recognition of excellence in screen editing across all its forms. It aims to highlight the often invisible art of editing to the public while supporting the people who construct our screen narratives frame by frame.

In 2012 the Ase expanded its activities by opening a new Committee in Brisbane, growing the membership base already established in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and expanding its year-round program of seminars, screenings, masterclasses, training days and mentorships. This year the Ase also celebrated its 10th anniversary of Accreditation, the highest honour the Guild can bestow on an editor.

The culmination of the Guild’s year happens at the annual Ase Awards,...

Australia’s Revelation Perth International Film Festival will be holding it’s explosive 15th annual edition on July 5-15 with one of it’s most jam-packed lineups yet.

One of the most special events that Revelation will be holding is July 14‘s retrospective of the films of Jeff Keen, the pioneering British underground filmmaker who very sadly just passed away on June 21. Keen’s work has been having a major resurgence lately and Revelation is the latest organization to so boldly feature his breathtaking experimental film work, from classics like 1967′s Marvo Movie to modern films like Artwar (1993) and Joy Thru Film (2000). This is absolutely an event not to be missed.

Another staggering event this year is a very special live presentation of Crispin Hellion Glover‘s notorious underground films What Is It? and It Is Fine! Everything Is Fine. (Click film titles for Bad Lit reviews!) These very...

Australian production company Playmaker and the Nine Network have announced the cast of new series House Husbands.

The 10 part series about stay-at-home dads is due to begin production at the end of the month.

The series is produced by Slide’s Sue Seeary and Lockie Leonard’s Drew Proffitt and created by Proffitt and Ellie Beaumont and directed by The Great Mint Swindle’s Geoff Bennett and Offspring’s Shirley Barrett.

The cast includes Gary Sweet of Rescue Special Ops, Rhys Muldoon of Lockie Leonard, Gyton Grantley of Underbelly and Firass Dirani of Underbelly: Golden Mile as well as Celebrity Apprentice’s Julia Morris, Underbelly: Razor’s Anna McGahan and Winners and Losers’ Natalie Saleeba.

Executive producers are Nine’s Jo Rooney and Andy Ryan and Playmaker’s David Maher and David Taylor.

House Husband’s received funding from Screen Australia two weeks ago.

Michael Cordell, executive producer of production company Cordell Jigsaw, has hit back at a Daily Telegraph article that accused the production company of not paying key cast of an observational documentary.

Cordell was accused of not paying the 33 individual lifeguards that appear on his show Bondi Rescue, now in its seventh season on Ten, despite the production being a documentary and doing so would create a conflict of interest within the production.

Cordell said in a statement: “We have huge respect for the boys down at Bondi and weʼve made every effort to ensure theyʼre part of Bondi Rescueʼs success.”

“It would be a conflict of interest to actually employ the lifeguards to appear in the series. Nor would Waverley Council ever permit it. However, there are very concrete agreements in place that benefit both the Council and the lifeguards.”

Similar shows like Rpa, Border Security, The Force and Recruits...

We've got some casting news for Season 3 of "Spartacus," and we're so excited to see what happens with these characters. Starz has announced the casting of Simon Merrells as Marcus Crassus and Todd Lasance as a young Julius Caesar!

Marcus Lincinius Crassus is the richest man in the Roman Republic. The highborn in the senate don't like him, and he is desperate to grab the power and respect that defeating Spartacus and his rebels would bring him. Merrells played Do Griggs in the UK dramas "London's Burning" and "Mersey Beat." He's also been seen in the thriller "The Wolfman."

Gaius Julius Caesar is a young rogue from a good family line. He's smart, deadly and he's not taking this rebellion lightly. We all know where he ended up. Lasance has been seen in the TV miniseries "Cloudstreet" and TV movie "The Great Mint Swindle."

"Spartacus: Vengeance" airs Friday nights on Starz.

We take a brief look at this week's Australian TV news.

Nine

The Great Mint Swindle

This new drama is based on the true story of Australia's most infamous (and still unsolved) gold heist, which took place at the Perth Mint. Starring Grant Bowler, Todd Lasance and Josh Quong Tart as the Mickelberg brothers, and Shane Bourne and John Batchelor as the main police...  More >>...

The story of Australia’s most famous gold heist is due to premiere on TV on 11 March.

Nine has announced The Great Mint Swindle produced by Cordell Jigsaw will air Sunday 11 March at 8:30pm.

Directed by Geoff Bennett and written by Reg Cribb and Paul Bennett, the telemovie based on real events, stars Grant Bowler, Tod Lasance and Josh Quong Tart as brothers Ray, Peter and Brian Mickelberg, three Perth brothers accused of orchestrating the robbery of 49 gold bars from the city’s mint.

Filmed around Perth and Fremantle, the project carries an estimated $3m budget.

It’s the first of a string of high profile, factual telemovies expected for Nine including Beaconsfield about the Tasmanian mining disaster, Howzat based around the rise of Kerry Packer’s International One Day Test series.

This week Cordell Jigsaw announced a merger with Andrew Denton and Anita Jacoby’s Zapruder’s Other Films,...

Two of Australia’s independent TV production houses have merged to form a “super indie,” it has been announced today.

The merger sees Zapruder’s Other Films, founded by Andrew Denton and Anita Jacoby combine with Cordell Jigsaw, founded by Nick Murray and Michael Cordell, to be titled Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (Cjz).

The talks began six to eight months ago, as Murray and Denton worked together lobbying the ABC for funding, but a deal wasn’t inked until last week.

As a merged production company it makes Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder the most prolific producer of Australian created shows with 14 shows slated for 2012 across free to air and subscription TV, including seven new productions such as tele-movie The Great Mint Swindle and Randling as well as seven re-commissioned productions such as Go Back To Where You Came From, The Gruen Transfer, Bondi Rescue and Can of Worms.

Murray, managing producer of...

Two prestigious Australian independent production companies have joined forces.

Sydney companies Cordell Jigsaw . established by Michael Cordell and Nick Murray . and Zapruder.s Other Films . led by Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby and Peter Thompson . have formed Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (Cjz).

The combined company, touted as the biggest privately-owned production company in Australia, currently has 10 shows in the works for ABC, Nine, Ten, Sbs and Foxtel. Such series include quiz show Randling (ABC), telemovie The Great Mint Swindle (Nine), Mega Truckers (Foxtel) and Country Town Rescue (ABC). The first show goes to air this Wednesday morning on ABC3 . You're Skitting Me . which was previously known as Lol. The children's sketch show is a first for Australia.

Established in 2005, Cordell Jigsaw has been responsible for such productions as Bondi Rescue, Hardliners, Recruits, O.Loughlin and the popular Go Back To Where You Came From. The latter . Sbs. highest-rated show of 2011 . saw Cordell...

Two prestigious Australian independent production companies have joined forces. Sydney companies Cordell Jigsaw . established by Michael Cordell and Nick Murray . and Zapruder.s Other Films . led by Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby and Peter Thompson . have formed Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder (Cjz). The combined company, touted as the biggest privately-owned production company in Australia, currently has 10 shows in the works for ABC, Nine, Ten, Sbs and Foxtel. Such series include quiz show Randling (ABC), telemovie The Great Mint Swindle (Nine), Mega Truckers (Foxtel) and Country Town Rescue (ABC). The first show goes to air this Wednesday morning on ABC3 . You're Skitting Me . which was previously known as Lol. The children's sketch show...