A new contemporary interpretation of the 1961 psychological thriller written by Australian journalist and novelist, Kenneth Cook, Wake In Fright will make its premiere on Network Ten on Sunday 8 October 2017.
This two-part television event is told through the eyes of John Grant and begins as he is returning to Sydney, and his beautiful girlfriend, after a year teaching at a one-classroom school in the remote outback town of Tiboonda. Shortly after hitting the road at dusk, he collides with a kangaroo and finds himself marooned in the small mining town of Bundanyabba, awaiting repairs on his car.
With little to do in the ‘Yabba but drink beer, John is seduced into a raucous, illegal gambling game and after a short exhilarating winning streak, he loses everything. This triggers a dangerous series of events, rendering John a broken and desperate man who descends into his own personal nightmare.
Sean Keenan (Australia Day, Glitch, Puberty Blues) leads an all-star cast as the young schoolteacher John Grant, backed by two of Australia’s most well-respected and critically acclaimed actors, David Wenham (Lion, Top Of The Lake, Lord Of The Rings) and Alex Dimitriades (The Slap, Underbelly).
Caren Pistorius (Offspring), Gary Sweet (House Husbands, Police Rescue), Robyn Malcolm (Upper Middle Bogan, Rake), Lee Jones (The Bastard Executioner), Anna Samson (Winners & Losers), Hannah Frederiksen (Hunters) and Jada Alberts (Wentworth) round out the exceptional main cast.
Filmed in Broken Hill and Sydney over five weeks, Wake In Fright was created for Network Ten by Lingo Pictures, in association with Endemol Shine Australia with the financial assistance of Screen Australia and Screen NSW, and is produced by Helen Bowden (The Slap, Devil’s Playground) and Kristian Moliere (The Babadook) and written by Stephen M Irwin.
Wake In Fright is directed by Kriv Stenders (Australia Day, The Principal), whose feature film Red Dog is one of the highest grossing Australian films of all time. Lingo Pictures’ Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens and Endemol Shine Australia’s Mark Fennessy and Carl Fennessy are executive producers.
“There are few Australian stories as original or compelling as Wake In Fright,” says Network Ten Head of Drama, Rick Maier. “This contemporary, edge-of-your seat mini-series will be one of the year’s most talked-about television events. We are incredibly excited to see what this all-star cast brings to this brilliant material.”
Wake in Fright premieres on Network Ten on Sunday 8 October 2017. For more information, visit: www.tenplay.com.au for details.
Image: Sean Keenan stars in Wake in Fright – courtesy of Network Ten