Principal photography on the Netflix Australian drama series The Survivors will take place in Tasmania in 2024, with development, production and post-production occurring in Victoria.
The Survivors is adapted from Australian bestselling Melbourne author Jane Harper’s novel by the award-winning team at Tony Ayres Productions (Fires, Clickbait, Stateless), which is backed by Matchbox Pictures and Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Set in a Tasmanian seaside town, The Survivors is a crime-mystery series which explores the impact of unresolved grief. Tony Ayres will act as showrunner, executive producer and writer. Andrea Denholm, Matt Vitins, Cherie Nowlan and Jane Harper will also serve as executive producers, with Nowlan (La Brea, Clickbait) and Ben C Lucas (Nautilus) directing. Tony Ayres is joined in the writing team by Belinda Chayko (Fires), Christian White (Clickbait), Peter Templeman (Wanted) and Alberto Di Troia (The Spooky Files). The series will be produced by Andy Walker (Deadloch, Rosehaven).
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The Victorian Minister for the Arts, Colin Books, said the production is expected to create over 200 jobs in the State. Tasmanian Minister for the Arts, Madeleine Ogilvie, said it would create jobs for 110 Tasmanian cast and crew and an estimated 720 extras.
The series is supported by VicScreen through the Victorian Production Fund and with production support from Screen Tasmania. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will manage international sales.
The Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Books, says: “Based on the novel by Victoria’s own Jane Harper, The Survivors is being developed by an incredible team of local screen talent. “As part of our ongoing work to boost Victoria’s profile as a global screen powerhouse, we’re proud to back this series which has created 200 jobs in our state before a single frame is shot.”
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Tony Ayres, Showrunner, Executive Producer and Writer, says: “Jane Harper’s brilliant writing has the rare ability to speak to an audience both widely and deeply, and that’s our ambition in adapting ‘The Survivors’ to screen. We want to intrigue and move our viewers, just as Jane does with her readers. We’re blessed to be working with the brilliant Netflix team, a stunning cast and crew led by the indomitable Andy Walker and Cherie Nowlan.”
Netflix has also committed $100,000 to support attachments for six emerging Tasmanian and Victorian screen practitioners on the production. This will provide the opportunity to experience working life on set and further their screen career ambitions with targeted attachments on the production across various departments.
The five talented Tasmanians and one Victorian selected for the Netflix attachment program are First Nations filmmaker and artist Kartanya Maynard who will be a Producer and Director Attachment as well as a Costume Department Art Finisher; First Nations Filmmaker Georgia Stone will be an Assistant Director Attachment; emerging writer and director Vee Shi will be a Director’s Attachment, and candidates will be selected for a First Nations Introductory Attachment, Q-Take Video Split Operator Attachment, Sustainability Attachment and Post-Production Supervisor Attachment.
The Survivors will be released globally on Netflix. The series is part of Netflix’s growing local slate of Australian films, shows and documentaries including previously released Heartbreak High, Wellmania, True Spirit, Surviving Summer Season 2, Love is in the Air, and ONEFOUR: Against All Odd as well as upcoming releases and newly announced projects such as Boy Swallows Universe, Desert King, Apple Cider Vinegar and Eddies’ Little Homies.
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