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Ginny & Georgia star Antonia Gentry was recently seen in the time travel slasher Time Cut, and earlier today we heard that Gentry’s co-star Nikki Roumel stars in the upcoming time travel supernatural thriller You Don’t Belong Here. Now, Deadline has revealed that another Ginny & Georgia cast member has just signed on to star in a genre film… although this one doesn’t involve time travel. Titled Nest, this film is about deadly arachnids, and the Ginny & Georgia cast member who is set to star in it is Felix Mallard.

The feature directorial debut of writer/director Guy Edmonds, who previously co-created and directed the Australian series Spooky Files and ABC’s Hardball, Nest will see Mallard taking on the role of Remy, a new father daunted by the prospect of parenthood and outfitting the family’s new home. With his high-flying wife Grace often away from the house,...

Felix Mallard, best known for his breakout role as Marcus Baker in Ginny & Georgia, is stepping into a darker, more thrilling role. He is set to star in an upcoming creature feature called Nest. Prepare for a wild ride as the actor enters a terrifying home invasion story where the threat isn't humans but a giant female spider!

This will be the first-ever horror-esque project Mallard has starred in. Besides Ginny & Georgia, the young Australian actor has had roles in other TV shows such as Neighbours, Happy Together, Locke & Key and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist. He also played the role of Roamer in the Netflix teen romantic drama All the Bright Places. His most recent project was starring in the Max romantic drama film Turtles All the Way Down.

Guy Edmonds, who is known for co-creating the Australian children's television series Hardball, is writing the script as well as directing.

Exclusive: Ginny & Georgia breakout Felix Mallard is attached to star in home invasion thriller Nest, about a young family terrorised by a new species of deadly arachnid.

Mallard is attached to star as Remy, a new father daunted by the prospect of parenthood and outfitting the family’s new home. With his high-flying wife Grace often away from the house, Remy must care for baby Zoe, while juggling his own career aspirations and the job of turning their new house into a home. But this house is already occupied…

The film’s antagonist, and matriarch of the ‘nest’, is a giant female spider which, with a mixture of puppetry enhanced by VFX, will be brought to life by effects artist Russell Sharp (Late Night with the Devil) and his team at Sharp FX, together with creature visual effects house Alt.FX (The Pope’s Exorcist).

Architect has launched worldwide sales on...

Exclusive: Children’s TV bosses from all over the world met at Mip Junior last night to discuss major challenges and seek co-production alliances, as the BBC’s Patricia Hidalgo tells Deadline a commercial strategy is the best way to safeguard kids programing.

The group of around 20 people who run children’s public broadcasting channels from the likes of Australia, France, Italy, Spain and Scandinavia talked about the immense challenges faced from wealthy competitors, according to BBC Children’s & Education Chief Hidalgo, as inflation pushes up costs and under-18s’ attention turns elsewhere.

“These issues are impacting all public broadcasters globally,” former Turner Media Emea kids chief Hidalgo told Deadline. “We are currently playing this game of being between two chairs with one foot on each, trying to keep audiences while moving them from the old linear way onto streaming platforms.”

The meeting was also used to help forge co-pro alliances...

Two animated children’s projects and two live-action series will share in $3.2 million of production funding from Screen Australia.

Northern Pictures’ Tom Weekly Versus… and Werner Film Productions’ Surviving Summer are being made for ViacomCBS and Netflix, respectively, while animation offerings 100% Wolf: The Book of Hath from Flying Bark Productions and Kangaroo Beach Summer Special from Cheeky Little Media will both appear on the ABC.

Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said the funding reflected Screen Australia’s commitment to supporting quality Australian screen stories for young audiences.

“It’s important that Australian kids can see their stories and experiences reflected on screen and families around the country will be in for a treat with these new projects,” she said.

“Northern Pictures are going from strength to strength – building on the success of Hardball, they are now set to bring popular book series Tom Weekly to the screen.

After an Emmy win and both local and international success with Hardball, Northern Pictures is developing a new children’s project with one of its creators, Guy Edmonds.

Titled Dance Spies, the live-action series follows the exploits of a group of teens in a dance school as they secretly train in the art of espionage. To be the best dance spies they can be, they’ll juggle dance assessments and personal differences with epic espionage and in the field ops.

The project is being co-developed with Canadian production and distribution company Sinking Ship Entertainment.

Edmonds got the idea after watching a multitude of dance series with his two young daughters.

“The more I watched these shows, and I’ve watched a billion of them, something occurred to me… The dance world is ruthless. To be a hero in it you need to be tough as nails, uber disciplined and a top shelf athlete.

‘Hardball’.

Northern Pictures’ Hardball has snared an International Emmy Kids Award, taking home the prize in the Kids: Live-Action category.

Commissioned by ABC Me, the series beat out Disney’s Juacas, from Brazil, South Korea’s Extraordinary You and Dropje from the Netherlands.

Created and written by Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds and produced by Joe Weatherstone, Hardball follows fish-out-of-water Mikey and his dream to become the ‘sweetest-bestest-acest’ handball champ in Western Sydney.

The Emmy joins a host of other awards for the project, including the Prix Jeunesse International Award for best fiction program for 7-10-year-olds, and the Rockie Award for the Best Children & Youth Fiction Series at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada.

Northern Pictures head of kids and scripted Catherine Nebauer said: “Right from the start when show creators Matt and Guy first pitched in the idea there was something unique that was appealing, and so it continued.

‘Hardball’.

Northern Pictures’ Hardball has snared an International Emmy Kids Award, taking home the prize in the Kids: Live-Action category.

Commissioned by ABC Me, the series beat out Disney’s Juacas, from Brazil, South Korea’s Extraordinary You and Dropje from the Netherlands.

Created and written by Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds and produced by Joe Weatherstone, Hardball follows fish-out-of-water Mikey and his dream to become the ‘sweetest-bestest-acest’ handball champ in Western Sydney.

The Emmy joins a host of other awards for the project, including the Prix Jeunesse International Award for best fiction program for 7-10-year-olds, and the Rockie Award for the Best Children & Youth Fiction Series at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada.

Northern Pictures head of kids and scripted Catherine Nebauer said: “Right from the start when show creators Matt and Guy first pitched in the idea there was something unique that was appealing, and so it continued.

‘Hardball.’

Northern Pictures’ Hardball has been nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award, one of four competing in the Kids: Live Action category.

So that is more acclaim for the ABC-commissioned comedy which won two prizes in June: The Prix Jeunesse International Award for the world’s best fiction program for 7-10-year-olds, and the Rockie Award for the Best Children and Youth Fiction Series at the Banff World Media Festival in Canada.

Created and written by Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds and produced by Joe Weatherstone, Hardball centres on Mikey and his dream to become the ‘sweetest-bestest-acest’ handball champ in Western Sydney.

The international distributor the Australian Children’s Television Foundation sold the show last month to the BBC kids’ channel Cbbc after earlier deals with France Televisions (France), Nrk (Norway), Rte (Ireland), Tvo (Canada), Tfo (Canada), Tvb (Hong Kong), Rtp (Portugal), Rtv (Slovenia), and Sabc (South Africa).

Co-funded by Screen Australia and Screen Nsw,...

‘Hardball’.

The BBC has acquired the UK rights to Northern Pictures’ live-action children’s series Hardball, to screen on Cbbc.

Created and written by Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds and produced by Joe Weatherstone, Hardball centres on Mikey, who’s recently moved from New Zealand to Western Sydney and found himself in the thick of the ultra-competitive, schoolyard game of handball.

With friends Jerry and Salwa, Mikey trains to become a weapon of precision and skill – equipped to topple resident king of the court, Tiffany, and take home the Western Suburbs handball crown.

The series was originally commissioned by the ABC, with support from Screen Australia, Screen Nsw and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (Actf), with a second season due to begin production later this year. Directors on the first season included Darren Ashton, Kacie Anning and Fadia Abboud.

Actf brokered the sale to the Beeb, following on from other...

Michael and Danny Philippou.

YouTube sensations RackaRacka – aka Danny and Michael Philippou – will make their big screen debut with horror feature Talk to Me, produced by Causeway Films.

The project is one of six announced today as sharing in $6 million of production funding from Screen Australia.

Other projects backed include anthology feature Here Out West from Co-Curious and Emerald Productions, set in Western Sydney, as well as second seasons of Every Cloud Productions’ Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries and Northern Pictures’ kids series Hardball; recently announced children’s series MaveriX; and Lgbtiqia teen series Flunk for YouTube.

Screen Australia head of content Sally Caplan said: “Australian creators continue to capture audiences around the world, such as the RackaRacka team which has built a huge following on YouTube and are now set to deliver a new experience for fans and newcomers alike with their debut feature film. Fans will be delighted...

The writers of All Is True, Hotel Mumbai, Relic, Ride Like a Girl and The Favourite have been nominated for best original feature film in the 52nd annual Awgie Awards.

Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (Deb Cox) and True History of the Kelly Gang (Shaun Grant) are the contenders for the feature film adaptation category.

Andrew Knight scored two nominations, for Ride Like a Girl (shared with Elise McCredie) and for TV series or miniseries for an episode of ABC’s Jack Irish, competing with Bloom (Glen Dolman), Secret City: Under the Eagle (Matt Cameron) and The End (Samantha Strauss).

Ben Elton wrote All is True, John Collee and Anthony Maras wrote Hotel Mumbai, Christian White and Natalie Erika James scripted Relic and Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis collaborated on The Favourite.

In the running for telemovie or miniseries up to four hours are The Cry (Jacquelin Perske...

Libbie Doherty.

Confirmed as head of children’s production at the ABC earlier this month, Libbie Doherty is on the look-out for comedies and factual entertainment programs.

Overseeing a department of 65 people including 25 in Melbourne, she commissions around 380 hours of content annually across ABC Kids and ABC Me as well as overseeing ABC Kids Listen, children’s digital products and third party social media.

Her budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 is unchanged, despite the $84 million funding cut over the next three years. “Our broad commissioning strategy is to present the best of Australian content and the best from the rest of the world,” she tells If in one of her first interviews since her appointment, after acting in the role for a year.

“We are always in the market for comedy. The Inbestigators is self-contained and won’t go to a second season so we definitely have room for comedies.

‘A Moody Christmas’

The Fox network has commissioned a Us remake of Jungle Entertainment’s A Moody Christmas, the comedy series which followed Dan Moody as he returned home to spend Christmas with his dysfunctional family.

Trent O’Donnell and Phil Lloyd created the Australian show, the precursor to the series The Moodys, for Jungleboys (now Jungle Entertainment) and the ABC.

O’Donnell directed the 2012 series which featured the ensemble cast of Patrick Brammall as Dan, Ian Meadows, Jane Harber, Danny Adcock, Robina Beard, Tina Bursill, Guy Edmonds, Darren Gilshenan, Rachel Gordon and Lloyd.

Jungle Entertainment’s Jason Burrows, Lloyd and O’Donnell will serve as executive producers on the six episode remake produced by CBS TV Studios and Fox Entertainment.

This will be the third Jungle-originated show for the Us this year, joining CBS All Access’ No Activity series 3 and FX’s Mr Inbetween season 2.

Six years on from The Moodys,...

In another piracy-busting move, the creative team behind Super Awesome! plan to launch the musical comedy on iTunes and other VOD platforms on May 29, the same day as the world premiere in Toronto.

Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes, who co-wrote and co-directed the mico-budgeted film, play struggling actors who are given one last chance to prove themselves by staging a musical, Honey I.m Homeless.

The theme is marriage equality, a topic about which the naïve, straight guys know next to nothing.

The self-funded $60,000 film will premiere at the 25th Annual Inside Out Toronto Lgbt Film Festival, arranged by the international sales agent, French- based Outplay.

The cast includes Simon Burke (who performs the signature song Man to Man), Patrick Brammall, Rob Carlton, Annie Maynard and New York actor Vinnie Vella, whose credits include Casino, The Sopranos and Coffee and Cigarettes.

Australian distributor Curious Film is closing the VOD deals,...

An analysis of the Australian films released in cinemas in 2013 makes for grim reading, with a handful of critical and/or commercial successes outnumbered by misfires and under-achievers.

On the positive side, the debut films from directors Kim Mordaunt (The Rocket), Catriona McKenzie (Satellite Boy) and Mark Grentell (Backyard Ashes) unearthed talent with plenty of potential.

The year ended on a strong note with the Boxing Day launch of Jonathan Teplitzy.s The Railway Man, which ranks as the second-highest local grosser behind Baz Luhrmann.s The Great Gatsby, which amassed $27.4 million to become the fifth-biggest Australian title of all time.

Tellingly, the drama starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman raked in more money in its first week than the lifetime earnings of every other title. According to If.s estimate, the combined B.O. tally of the 26 local films and documentaries is $38.88 million, well short of 2012.s $47.9 million.

Only...

After playing a member of the dysfunctional Moody family and a young Rupert Murdoch, Guy Edmonds is set to play a guy who.s forced to impregnate seven women in seven days.

That.s the punishment meted out to his character Scott by a domineering angel in Wingman, a made-for-the web series from writer-director Steve Anthopoulos and producer Yingna Lu.

The screenplay by Anthopoulos and co-writer Luke Davidson follows Scott as he buys the morning after-pill for his girlfriend Becky. This prompts a visit from an extroverted angel named Wingman, who tells him they've committed a grave sin by ending a potential life. To save his girlfriend from eternal damnation, he must impregnate seven women in seven days.

.It.s a funny, sexy show with an underlying message: Everyone has the right to choose,. Edmonds tells If. The producers aim to raise a modest $8,500 via crowd funding site Pozible towards the cost of renting locations,...

Guy Edmonds and Matt Zeremes spent four years acting as gay lovers in the hit play Holding the Man. Now the two are tackling the concept of same-sex marriage in their new venture, comedy feature film Super Awesome!

Guy Edmonds

Matt and I met when he was in third year in drama school at Qut and I was in first year. But it wasn.t until Holding the Man in 2006 that we really got to know each other. And then you know, that play just never stopped. We were constantly being put back together and forged a really, really strong working relationship.

Later, we were in the Us doing pilot season, and in between auditions and learning scripts and packing we thought, .We.ve got such a unique relationship and kind of our own .schtick. - why not turn this thing into something? Why not make something?. And that.s...

Remote warfare is a terrifying proposition. With death-dealing taking place at the press of a button in rooms far removed from the killing field it's no wonder filmmakers are starting to examine what happens when the human psyche is put under the pressure of these decisions. We've seen drone warfare examined as part of many movies about espionage and the war on terror (Syriana springs to mind as a chilling example) but few movies focusing solely on this. One movie that aims to do just this is Edwin McGill's Drone, an upcoming Australian indie posing as an American-set movie starring Peter Phelps (above left) and Guy Edmonds.Drone is the story of Dalton (Edmonds), an 'armchair warrior' - a drone plane operator with the U.S. Army. Up to...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Theatre buffs may recognise Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds from their portrayal of a love-struck homosexual couple in the sell-out show Holding the Man.

Now the pair of straight-up straight guys are working on a new project, this time tackling the issue of gay marriage.

The comedic feature film, Super Awesome! has just finished 17 days of shooting in Sydney and now cast and crew are en route to New York, where they will film the finale.

.I can.t wait. It.s chaotic, there are still a couple of things to organise, it.s super exciting,. says Zeremes - who co-directs and co-produces with Edmonds - the day before the duo is set to fly to the Big Apple.

.Already it.s been a really amazing journey, really awesome,. adds Edmonds. .But I.m so absolutely shattered . it.s been the biggest three weeks of my life..

The two first...

Theatre buffs may recognise Matt Zeremes and Guy Edmonds from their portrayal of a love-struck homosexual couple in the sell-out show Holding the Man.

Now the pair of straight-up straight guys are working on a new project, this time tackling the issue of gay marriage.

The comedic feature film, Super Awesome! has just finished 17 days of shooting in Sydney and now cast and crew are en route to New York, where they will film the finale.

.I can.t wait. It.s chaotic, there are still a couple of things to organise, it.s super exciting,. says Zeremes - who co-directs and co-produces with Edmonds - the day before the duo is set to fly to the Big Apple.

.Already it.s been a really amazing journey, really awesome,. adds Edmonds. .But I.m so absolutely shattered . it.s been the biggest three weeks of my life..

The two first...

Production company Jungleboys has teamed up with the ABC to create a charming and familiar comedy series, A Moody Christmas, writes Georgina Pearson.

The plot for ABC comedy drama A Moody Christmas treads a familiar path: London-based son returns home to Australia for family Christmas: chaos ensues. An ode to the Aussie festive season, it spins the story of one dysfunctional family’s attempt at forced civility with a twist – each episode of the six-part series is set on Christmas Day, one year apart.

Created by production company Jungleboys, A Moody Christmas airs at the end of a soft year for ABC comedy with little memorable fare to deliver laughs in 2012. The format of the series, the brainchild of Trent O’Donnell and Phil Lloyd, creators of Review with Miles Barlow, has the potential to finish the year with a chuckle.

ABC executive producer Debbie Lee says it is a...

Commercials production company Jungleboys is producing its first major TV series.

Production on This Christmas, a six-part 30-minute comedy series to run on ABC1 in the run up to December, begins in Sydney this week.

The idea for the show is based on the dysfunctional Moody family at Christmas, with each episode set a year apart when Dan – played by Paper Giants actor Ian Meadows – visits home.

The show is being directed by Trent O’Donnell, of The Chaser’s fame, produced by Andy Walker and Phil Lloyd, who is also starring in the show.

The show’s executive producers are Jungleboys’ Jason Burrows and ABC TV ‘s Debbie Lee.

ABC TV head of comedy Debbie Lee said: “Phil and Trent’s idea for This Christmas was a standout from the start. Christmas is a time ripe for comic picking and the series promises to be both oddly familiar and...

Production on a new six-part comedy series from the team behind Review with Myles Barlow begins this week in Sydney.

This Christmas , which will air on ABC1 later in the year,. follows Dan Moody (Ian Meadows) as he visits the dysfunctional family he moved halfway across the world to escape from.

The series was created by Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd of production company Jungleboys. O'Donnell (Review with Myles Barlow, Laid, Woodley, The Chaser's War on Everything) will direct, while Lloyd (who was seen last year as Tim Mathieson in ABC comedy At Home with Julia) will co-produce and star in the series.

Other cast members include Patrick Brammall (Hawke), Guy Edmonds (Underbelly: Razor) and Jane Harber (Offspring)

Each episode will be set a year apart, focusing on the Moody family as they come together to share the fights, fun, bad gifts, family secrets and boring uncles universally associated with Christmas Day.

Production on a new six-part comedy series from the team behind Review with Myles Barlow begins this week in Sydney. This Christmas , which will air on ABC1 later in the year,. follows Dan Moody (Ian Meadows) as he visits the dysfunctional family he moved halfway across the world to escape from. The series was created by Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd of production company Jungleboys. O'Donnell (Review with Myles Barlow, Laid, Woodley, The Chaser's War on Everything) will direct, while Lloyd (who was seen last year as Tim Mathieson in ABC comedy At Home with Julia) will co-produce and star in the series. Other cast members include Patrick Brammall (Hawke), Guy Edmonds (Underbelly: Razor) and Jane Harber (Offspring) Each episode will be set a year apart,...

Welcome back friends! I’m a little hyper from sleep deprivation having stayed up all night watching the UK election coverage – more on that later. For now I’m keeping myself upbeat by bopping along to the new track from Scissor Sisters. Have you heard it? It’s ridiculous – in a good way. It features booming poetic vocals from Sir Ian McKellen. Yes, Gandalf goes disco-trance!

Lead singer Jake Shears and Sir Ian often party together, so Jake asked the veteran gay actor to contribute to new track “Invisible Light.” They actually took a bunch of recording equipment to McKellen’s dressing room when he was performing in the brilliant West End production of Waiting for Godot.

It looks as though the flamboyant pop group have their edge back, after a rather tame second album. They make quite a statement with their album cover – the taught buttocks of ballet dancer...