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William McInnes, known for Blue Heelers, is finally gaining international recognition through his role in NCIS: Sydney. Blue Heelers was a hit Australian police drama that kick-started the careers of top actors like Hugh Jackman and Sam Worthington. NCIS: Sydney offers a chance for McInnes to showcase his versatile talent to a global audience in its renewed season 2.

NCIS: Sydney is the first in the NCIS franchise to branch outside the United States, and it's finally putting some of Australia's most iconic but unsung stars on the map. Among the talented cast is William McInnes, who has been a mainstay on Australian television since the '90s. McInnes' filmography reads like a list of Australia's most notable and beloved TV shows of the past three decades. It's exciting now to see the actor finally finding some international recognition through his starring role in the NCIS spin-off.

Among his iconic roles,...

The NCIS franchise started over three decades ago, finding great success as the original and with several spinoffs.

When the writer's strikes happened in 2023, fans were left without an NCIS fix for the first time in over twenty years.

Meanwhile, a new spinoff, NCIS: Sydney, was happening in another part of the world for the first out-of-country NCIS spinoff in history.

The upcoming NCIS spinoff featuring Tony Dinozzo and Ziva David may also take place out of the US.

Originally, there were no plans for NCIS: Syndey to air on US television. But when the strikes shut down television production, CBS picked it up for the fall lineup.

Fans rejoiced at the news of an order for a second season of NCIS: Sydney, while we mourned the cancellation announcement for sister show NCIS: Hawai'i.

Related: NCIS: Sydney Season 2: Everything We Know So Far!

The Og NCIS is still strong,...

Aussie crime series offer a gritty and specific twist on the classic police procedural, showcasing Australia's unique storytelling capabilities. Australian crime dramas blend English sardonic tone with American plotlines, set against visually stunning oceanic backdrops for a captivating experience. These shows, like Deadloch and Mystery Road, explore diverse narratives with dark humor, societal issues, and captivating mysteries, worth a watch.

A great Aussie crime series features every aspect of what normally goes into a classic police procedural but with a specificity and grittiness that only the country/continent can produce. While Australia is an excellent setting for post-apocalyptic productions, there is plenty more to the country than barren wastelands filled with souped-up cars and men in masks praying to gasoline gods. Australia's thriving crime series industry has shown the country can produce just as thrilling crime drama TV shows as its British and American counterparts.

What Australia offers, besides actors...

Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from American Horror Stories season 3, episode 4.

American Horror Stories season 3, episode 4 revolves around Toby, a women-hating man who meets a mysterious woman on a dating app. But their hookup takes a dark turn when Toby wakes up without his kidney. The episode is full of surprising twists as Toby investigates what happened to him. He discovers an underground organ theft ring called Magna Mater, and Natessa, the woman he met, is connected to it. Toby's coworker and friend Sasha, played by Havana Rose Liu, is secretly in love with him but betrays him in the end. The episode also features Detective Markham and Detective Grant, who work for Magna Mater, and a small role by Patrick Breen as the Auctioneer.

American Horror Stories season 3, episode 4, "Organ," revolves around the character of Toby, a women-hating man obsessed with a dating app — Pincher. But the...

Unforgettable Gala, which bills itself as the nation’s longest-running Asian Pacific Islander awards show, is set to celebrate its 20th annual ceremony with actor Eugene Cordero serving as host. Cordero’s hosting stint will be the first time a Filipino American has emceed the entertainment gala. The gala, with the theme “Illuminate,” will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Beverly Hilton.

Also set to appear are honorees Ke Huy Quan (actor in film) and Stephanie Hsu (breakout in film) of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The Breakout in TV Award will go to Minha Kim of “Pachinko,” with the hit series also receiving this year’s Vanguard Award. Bretman Rock will receive the digital influencer award, while Domee Shi and Julia Cho will receive the writer award for “Turning Red.” Awards selection committee co-chairs Daniel Dae Kim and Lisa Ling will deliver the gala’s keynote address.

“As...

Actor Reg Gorman, best known for his roles on Neighbours and The Sullivans, has died aged 89 following a battle with cancer.

His wife Judith Roberts confirmed his passing on Thursday in a social media post, describing a “great farewell” at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, where Gorman was surrounded by family and was also able to skype overseas and interstate to say goodbye.

Born in Sydney, Gorman began his television career with appearances on a slew of Australian series in the 1960s, before landing his first recurring star role as Darby Finnegan in 13 episodes of the Atn series Mrs. Finnegan in 1970 and 71.

After further appearances across both film and television, including Homicide and Matlock Police, he was cast as Jack Fletcher in The Sullivans, a role he would remain in for all 1114 half-hour episodes of the series from 1976–83.

Stints on Prisoner and The Henderson Kids would follow, with Gorman also appearing in Neighbours,...

A legacy built across five decades within the arts is being brought into focus following the death of Mary Ward at the age of 106.

Ward appeared in more than 20 television series throughout her career, including Prisoner, Sons and Daughters, Neighbours, and Blue Heelers.

She passed away peacefully at a Melbourne aged care facility on Monday morning.

In a statement made to If, the Ward and Breheny family of which she is survived said their relative was not only an inspiring pioneer of the arts with her radio, film, and television career, but also for women of her generation.

“Mary was a strong independent woman who set off overseas at 20 years old to make her mark on the world and that she certainly did,” they said.

“While the family is saddened by her passing, we are honoured to be related to such an amazing woman.”

Ward’s time in the entertainment...

Ben Lawrence took home the main prize – Best Direction in a Feature Film (Budget $1M+) – at last night’s Australian Directors’ Guild (Adg) Awards, for his debut narrative feature Hearts and Bones.

Held virtually and hosted by Greta Lee Jackson and Nina Oyama, this year’s Adg Awards also saw female directors take home 10 of the 19 prizes – marking the first time ever that women have made up more than 50 per cent of winners.

Among them were Josephine Mackerras, who took home Best Direction of A Feature Film (Budget under $1M) for the French-language Alice; Maya Newell whose In My Blood It Runs saw her win Best Direction of a Documentary Feature, and Emma Freeman, who won Best Direction of a TV or SVOD Mini-Series for Stateless: Episode 3.

The guild suggests this reflects the push for gender parity in the industry. Traditionally, women have been extremely underrepresented in director roles, and last week,...

Kelly Lefever.

Prolific screenwriter, script producer and story editor Kelly Lefever is juggling multiple projects – not least a deeply personal series about disability.

Inspired by her own family’s experiences, Care will look at five families who each care for a family member who was born with or acquired a disability.

Her daughter Alexandra, who is 30, was born with Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.

“This is a universal story,” Kelly told If. “There are more than 3 million people in Australia who care for a family member or a close relative.

“Most of us will have to deal with this at some time in our lives with aging parents. For me it has been a very grounding experience which has also brought tremendous joy and humour.”

Lefever is in talks with a producer and intends to pitch the project to the ABC, Sbs or streamers.

Another project she created is Sundown,...

Kelly Lefever.

Prolific screenwriter, script producer and story editor Kelly Lefever is juggling multiple projects – not least a deeply personal series about disability.

Inspired by her own family’s experiences, Care will look at five families who each care for a family member who was born with or acquired a disability.

Her daughter Alexandra, who is 30, was born with Kabuki syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.

“This is a universal story,” Kelly told If. “There are more than 3 million people in Australia who care for a family member or a close relative.

“Most of us will have to deal with this at some time in our lives with aging parents. For me it has been a very grounding experience which has also brought tremendous joy and humour.”

Lefever is in talks with a producer and intends to pitch the project to the ABC, Sbs or streamers.

Another project she created is Sundown,...

Frank Woodley.

Many producers fear the Federal Government’s sweeping media reforms will spell the death knell of Australian features, forcing them and some writers and directors to focus on content for streamers or free-to-air broadcasters.

Lowering the Producer Offset for films to 30 per cent from July 2021 will leave a gap of at least 25 per cent of the budgets which most producers will find impossible to fill, according to producer/distributor Sue Maslin.

“The exceptions will be largely foreign-financed films or local films with cast led by foreign actors making the most of Australian financial incentives, cast, crew and locations. That or extremely low budget films with little hope of competing in the cinema market,” the Film Art Media principal tells If.

“I find this summary dismissal of Australian cinema devastating and will be forced to relegate all feature films currently in development to the bottom drawer until we see...

Gary Conway.

One of Australia’s most respected and prolific TV directors who started his career at Crawford Productions in the 1960s, Gary Conway died on Friday in a hospice in Melbourne, aged 73.

Conway directed nearly 800 episodes of Neigbours, beginning in 1988, and worked on the Fremantle show until late last year when he was forced to stop after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

“Gary was a great mate to me and to many, many others,” his friend and long-time colleague, composer Garry (Sam) Hardman tells If.

“Gary started at Crawford’s a couple of years before I did. I met him when I started with the company in 1965. There were 45 people on staff back then and Gary was the company’s art department.

“He would make up the credit cards for Homicide and Hunter as well as the ‘fake signs” for filming that could turn an ordinary office building into a federal bank.

Ellie Madritsch and Ana Jimenez.

When Fremantle director of scripted Jo Porter started out as a producer more than 20 years ago, shows such as All Saints and Blue Heelers ran for 42 episodes a year and there were plenty of opportunities for emerging writers.

With most dramas now limited to four to six episodes, Porter worries there are far fewer avenues for writers to break into the business.

Her solution is Next, a Fremantle initiative which will serve as a talent escalator for writers who have at least one credit.

Spearheaded by Fremantle drama coordinators Ellie Madritsch and Ana Jimenez, the program aims to fund a minimum of three projects – short-form digital content or podcasts – next year and in each of the following years as a stepping stone to long-form projects.

“These platforms can be pathways and proving grounds for writers, enabling them to build worlds and connect with audiences,” Porter tells If.

Rupert Penry-Jones in ‘The Commons’. (Photo: John Platt)

British actor Rupert Penry-Jones, Ryan Corr (Bloom) and David Lyons have joined the cast of Stan/Playmaker Media’s The Commons.

They join the previously announced headliners Brit Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) and Damon Herriman, most recently seen on film in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and on Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween.

Additionally, the cast will be bolstered by television stalwart John Waters, Fayssal Bazzi (Stateless), Simone McAullay, Andrea Demetriades, Felix Williamson, Inez CurroĢ (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Dominic Ona-Ariki and Zara Michales (Diary of an Uber Driver).

The eight-part high end drama production was created by Aacta Award-winning showrunner Shelley Birse (The Code), who wrote the series with a team including Matt Ford, Michael Miller and Matt Cameron.

Currently being shot across Sydney, the thriller is directed by Jeffrey Walker alongside Rowan Woods and Jennifer Leacey. Described...

L-r: Fred Schepisi, Minister Martin Foley, Andrew Knight, Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher, Film Victoria president Ian Robertson, Claire Dobbin, Jan Sardi, John Howie and Tony Reed.

Film Victoria’s annual screen awards were held yesterday evening, honouring writer/producer Andrew Knight, director Daina Reid, games advocate Tony Reed and Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) chair Claire Dobbin.

Knight, whose credits include TV shows such as Fast Forward, Full Frontal, SeaChange and Jack Irish and features like The Water Diviner, Ali’s Wedding and Hacksaw Ridge, was recognised with the Jan Sardi Award for his significant achievements as a screenwriter.

Daina Reid was presented Fred Schepisi Award for significant achievement in directing. Reid began her career in television as a comedy writer and actor, before moving into directing. Her creidts include Blue Heelers, The Secret Life of Us, Rush, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Offspring, Nowhere Boys, The Secret River,...

The Secret Daughter.

Seven has announced that The Secret Daughter, starring Jessica Mauboy, will premiere October 3.

Mauboy leads series cast as Billie Carter, a part-time country pub singer whose life changes forever after a chance meeting with wealthy city hotelier Jack Norton, played by Colin Friels.

The drama also stars Bonnie Sveen (Home and Away), Matt Levett (A Place To Call Home, Devil.s Playground), David Field (Catching Milat, No Activity), Rachel Gordon (Winter, The Moodys, Blue Heelers), Salvatore Coco (The Principal, Catching Milat) and Jared Turner (The Almighty Johnsons, The Shannara Chronicles).

The Secret Daughter is a Screentime, a Banijay Group company, production for Channel Seven produced with the financial assistance of Screen Australia and Screen Nsw.

The series was directed by Leah Purcell, Geoff Bennett and Paul Moloney, and written by Justin Monjo, Greg Haddrick, Louise Bowes and Keith Thompson.

Anya Beyersdorf is an actress (Blue Heelers, Crownies) turned director, whose 2014 short Gayby.was made as a Masters project at the Sydney College of the Arts before touring to festivals at home and abroad.

While studying she was taught screenwriting by Blue Murder's Ian David, and "fell hard" for it.

Her new film, Vampir, was produced by Nicole Coventry and will premiere at next month's St Kilda Film Festival..

Off the back of it, Beyersdorf was also shortlisted for Sydney Film Festival's Lexus Short Film Fellowship, presided over by Judy Davis.

Vampir came out of a single image, of "a guy walking across a field", said Beyersdorf.

"I started to think how easy it is to misunderstand people, and to judge people by the way that they look, and for the consequences to be quite full on."

To play the lead role, she enlisted Tony Rogers, a director best...

Jessica Mauboy.

Channel Seven's The Secret Daughter, starring Jessica Mauboy, has begun filming in Sydney and country Nsw.

Mauboy leads the cast as Billie Carter, a part-time country pub singer whose life changes forever after a chance meeting with wealthy city hotelier Jack Norton, played by Colin Friels.

The drama will also star Bonnie Sveen (Home and Away), Matthew Levett (A Place To Call Home, Devil.s Playground), David Field (Catching Milat, No Activity), Rachel Gordon (Winter, The Moodys, Blue Heelers), Salvatore Coco (The Principal, Catching Milat) and Jared Turner (The Almighty Johnsons, The Shannara Chronicles).

Supporting cast members include former Miss World Australia Erin Holland, Jr Reyne (Neighbours), Libby Asciak (Here Come The Habibs), Johnny Boxer (Fat Pizza vs Housos), Terry Serio (Janet King), Waapa graduate Harriet Gordon-Anderson, Jeremy Ambrum (Cleverman, Mabo) and Amanda Muggleton (City Homicide, Prisoner).

.Seven is the home of Australian drama and we.re immensely...

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Alice Englert made her acting debut in a short film, The Water Diary, directed by her mother, Jane Campion..

Now the young actress (whose credits include Sally Potter's Ginger and Rosa and BBC One's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell) has made one of her own.

The Boyfriend Game premiered at Tiff last year, but Englert couldn't attend - "I was in New Zealand acting in a film. It was a bummer not to go".

The film has now been invited to the Berlinale, and Englert won't miss it.

The Boyfriend Game was shot over two days at the Colo River in Nsw, and is about "two little girls, friends, playing a game they've created at a farmhouse in the Australian bush. They discover difficulties when they become competitive over one of their imaginary boyfriends"..

"I came up with the idea because I was once an eleven year-old girl...

NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan on set with Miquel Ferrer, Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen..

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NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner Shane Brennan is returning to Australia in a bid to fundamentally change the way productions are funded and developed in his home country.

Brennan, one Australia.s most successful television exports, has told If he wants to kickstart a new era in Australia with a .unique system. and a .large amount of finance..

Dubbed the hardest working man in Hollywood, he was showrunner of both NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles for two years.

The 59-year-old Victorian, who left for the Us in 2003, has executive produced more than 300 episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS.

Brennan, whose Australian writing credits include A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, Blue Heelers, Stingers and Mcleod.s Daughters, had more than 400 hours. worth of production credits when he left for the Us in 2003.

He...

It is with great sadness the Awg reports that Ted Roberts, the highly respected television writer and producer, died of cancer on Monday February 23.. He was 83..

In a career spanning more than 40 years he wrote more than 500 hours of television drama: Skippy, Homicide, Elephant Boy, Boney, Lindsay.s Boy, Rush, Patrol Boat, A Country Practice, Willing and Able, G.P., Mission: Impossible, Water Rats, and Blue Heelers. In addition, he was supervising producer on Water Rats.

He is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and the publisher Pat Woolley, who loved him for 16 years.

Close friends, industry colleagues and family are invited to the wake to mourn and praise him, on Saturday at 2pm in Ultimo, Sydney. Email your interest to books@fastbooks.com.au before Friday 6pm for further details.

Grateful thanks to everyone at Wolper Jewish Hospital, Woollahra, who cared for him so tenderly the last 6 weeks of his life,...

Matt Passmore is rebounding from the cancelation of “The Glades.” The actor has been cast as the lead in former “Suits” showrunner Sean Jablonski’s untitled pilot for USA Network. Passmore will play Neil Truman, an investment banker who attempts to satisfy his married mid-life crisis by quitting his job and redefining himself and his relationships. Also read: USA Network Holding Anti-Bullying Commercial Contest (Exclusive) Before starring on A&E’s “The Glades” for four seasons, the Australian actor starred on “Blue Heelers,” “Mcleod’s Daughter” and “Underbelly.” The untitled project will be executive produced by Jablonski with Universal Cable Productions.

Jordan Patrick Smith is set to join the growing list of actors who have graduated from Neighbours and Home and Away to the international stage.

He.s in advanced negotiations to play a supporting role in Angelina Jolie.s drama Unbroken, which starts shooting in Nsw and Queensland on October 21. Smith will play Cliff, an Australian prisoner who.s interned in a Japanese Pow camp in WW2, according to Deadline.com.

The Universal-financed film follows former Us Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini (Jack O.Connell) as his Us air force plane is shot down over the Pacific. After 47 days on a life raft he is captured by the Japanese. The cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund and Alex Russell.

Smith spent three years on Neighbours and one year on Home and Away. After finishing on the soap last December he went to the Us and signed with Untitled Entertainment. He.s...

Ditch Davey has joined the cast of the Us network series The Black Box, which stars Sherlock Holmes' Kelly Reilly as Elizabeth Black, a neuroscientist who struggles to hide her mental illness from her fiancé and family.

Vanessa Redgrave will play Dr. Hartramph, Elizabeth's psychiatrist. Davey is cast as Dr. Marc Bickman, a brilliant neurosurgeon.

Davey played Nemetes in Spartacus: War of the Damned, the New Zealand-produced 'sword and sandal' show which recently wrapped its third and final season.

He was a regular in Sea Patrol, All Saints and Blue Heelers and appeared in Justin Dix.s thriller Crawlspace. His other credits include Underbelly. Files, Satisfaction and Wilfred.

The Us network ABC commissioned The Black Box. Shooting of the 13 episodes starts in New York later this month, produced by Bold Films.

The show was created by Amy Holden Jones, whose screenwriting credits include Mystic Pizza, The Relic and Indecent Proposal.

Rebecca Gibney is set to star in and co-produce The Killing Field, a telemovie for the Seven network.

She.ll play the leader of a task force that.s sent to a country town to investigate a shocking crime.

The concept and screenplay came from Sarah Smith and Michaeley O'Brien. Samantha Lang (The Monkey.s Mask, episodes of My Place and Packed to the Rafters ) will direct.

Bill Hughes and Smith are producing for Seven, with Gibney as co-producer. Seven.s head of drama Julie McGauran is executive producer.

Smith co-created and produced with McGuaran Wild Boys and Rescue Special Ops for Southern Star Entertainment.

O.Brien.s screenwriting credits include episodes of Serangoon Road, Underbelly, Rescue Special Ops, City Homicide, McLeod.s Daughters, Sea Patrol and Blue Heelers.

Lang most recently directed Carlotta, the ABC telemovie which stars Jessica Marais as an Australian transgender pioneer who was a colourful figure in Kings Cross.

Lachlan Woods, Noah Taylor, Jessica Clarke, Robert Taylor, Malcolm Kennard and Catherine McClements head the cast of quirky comedy The Menkoff Method, which starts shooting in Melbourne on September 10.

The director is David Parker, who makes a return to directing after a long absence: he shot Diana & Me, a 1997 comedy that starred Toni Collette as Aussie Diana Spencer, who wins a trip for two to London where she is determined to meet her idol and namesake Princess Diana.

In the interim Parker has shot plenty of TVCs and written and worked as Dop on his wife Nadia Tass. films and as Dop on films such as Kel Dolen.s upcoming vengeance thriller John Doe and Kath & Kimderella.

Parker sparked to The Menkoff Method screenplay by first-timer Zac Gillam, describing it as .very different and laugh-out loud funny,. and spent nearly a year developing it with the writer.

Woods (Better Man,...

The Anzac spirit will be celebrated in two miniseries that received funding on Tuesday from Screen Australia. While both projects had been announced, the cast for Anzac Girls has been revealed and it.s been confirmed that Sam Worthington is highly likely to star in The Gallipoli Story.

Also funded was Catching Milat, a two-part telemovie recounting the investigation that led to the arrest of serial killer Ivan Milat.

Produced by Screentime for ABC TV, Anzac Girls will chronicle the true story of five young military nurses from Australia and New Zealand who experienced horror, heartbreak and triumph caring for the soldiers at Gallipoli and the Western Front.

The six-part series will star Georgia Flood (House Husbands, Wentworth, Tangle), Antonia Prebble (Outrageous Fortune, The Blue Rose, Super City), Laura Brent (A Few Best Men, Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader), Anna McGahan (House Husbands, Mystery of a Hansom Cab,...

Actors who get lousy reviews usually ignore them or suffer in silence- but not Kevin Harrington.

The veteran actor was so incensed by a review by News Ltd..s Leigh Paatsch of the DVD of Cliffy, he vented on Facebook.

The ABC telemovie features Harrington as Cliff Young, who became an unlikely hero at the age of 61 when he won the 875km endurance race from Sydney to Melbourne..

In Saturday.s Daily Telegraph and Herald-Sun Paatsch dismissed it as a .dreadful telemovie that turns the ripping true story of the late ultra-marathon legend Cliff Young into a crap-tastic cartoon. How the ABC ever ponied up a commitment to this dim-witted affair beggars belief..

Paatsch advised readers who want the .real tale- much of which was ignored or changed by this TV calamity,. to read Julietta Jameson.s book Cliffy: The Cliff Young Story.

His verdict: .1 star, run the other way.

Jessica Marais will star as transgender Les Girls performer Carlotta in a new telemovie for ABC 1. Carlotta follows the life of the transgender pioneer, who was born as Richard Byron before transforming into Carol and, on stage, Carlotta in the 1970s. Written by David Hannum, with story consultation from Carlotta, the film will be directed by Samantha Lang (My Place, The Monkey.s Mask) and will feature an acclaimed cast, including Caroline O.Connor, Alex Dimitriades, Anita Hegh, Eamon Farren and Paul Capsis. Carlotta will be produced by Riccardo Pellizzeri (Underbelly: Nz, Siege, Mda, Blue Heelers) and Lara Radulovich (Wentworth, Neighbours) with the ABC.s Carole Sklan and Christopher Gist as executive producers. Developed by Pellizzeri and Radulovich, Carlotta is being produced by their new production company Story Ark Productions. Producers Lara Radulovich and Riccardo Pellizzeri said, .This has been a passion project of ours for many years and...

Jonathan Lapaglia and Luke Hemsworth are joining The Reckoning, a film from Lightning Entertainment. The film will be directed John V. Soto (Crush). Hemsworth, much like the third Manning brother, is the lesser known of the Hemsworth clan, that has Thor and Gale as the other members. Lapaglia is the son of Without A Trace star Anthony Lapaglia. Check the press release for more deets on the film.

Los Angeles – Jonathan Lapaglia and Luke Hemsworth will star in the crime thriller The Reckoning, written and to be directed by John V. Soto (Needle, Crush), it was announced today by Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning Entertainment who is set to handle International sales rights to the film.

The Reckoning will start principal photography on April 29th on location in Australia. Deidre Kitcher (Needle, Crush) is producing. Robert Lundberg, Greg Coote, David Calvert-Jones, Roger Savill and Kim Savill will executive produce the film.

We first told you about the new film from the director of the 2010 Australian supernatural film Needle, John V. Soto, entitled The Reckoning, way back in October; and we now have an update on the film's progression for you!

From the Press Release

Jonathan Lapaglia (pictured) and Luke Hemsworth will star in the crime thriller The Reckoning, written and to be directed by John V. Soto (Needle, Crush), it was announced today by Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning Entertainment, who is set to handle international sales rights to the film.

The Reckoning will start principal photography on April 29th on location in Australia. Deidre Kitcher (Needle, Crush) is producing. Robert Lundberg, Greg Coote, David Calvert-Jones, Roger Savill, and Kim Savill will executive produce the film.

The story revolves around a detective who discovers footage at a murder scene, shot by two teenagers, that provides clues to the identity of a killer.

Jonathan Lapaglia and Luke Hemsworth will star in the crime thriller The Reckoning, written and to be directed by John V. Soto (Needle, Crush), it was announced today by Robert Beaumont, President of Lightning Entertainment who is set to handle International sales rights to the film.

The Reckoning will start principal photography on April 29th on location in Australia. Deidre Kitcher (Needle, Crush) is producing. Robert Lundberg, Greg Coote, David Calvert-Jones, Roger Savill and Kim Savill will executive produce the film.

The story revolves around a detective who discovers footage at a murder scene, shot by two teenagers, that provides clues to the identity of a killer. The teens have since gone missing, and as the detective retraces their journey, he soon uncovers a trail of deceit and murder that leads all the way back to him.

Kitcher says that the thriller is “best described as Memento meets Kalifornia.”

A Filmscope Entertainment production,...

To paraphrase Yoda, “There is... another... Hemsworth.” It’s not as if Luke Hemsworth has exactly been hiding – we’ve known there’s a third, older brother in the family besides Chris and Liam for years now. But he’s limited his acting work to TV until the announcement in January that he’s joined World War I drama The 34th Battalion. But since that’s still waiting to kick off shooting, it appears his actual film debut will be crime thriller The Reckoning. In keeping with the sibling theme, Hemsworth’s co-star in the film will be Jonathan Lapaglia, younger brother to Anthony. The pair is set to play detectives searching for two teenagers who unwittingly shoot footage of a murder and are hunted by the criminals involved.John V. Soto has written the script and aims to start filming at the end of April in Perth. Hemsworth has...

The Motion Picture Company is shooting a new web series called the Charity Porn Initiative.

Written by John Banas, the 18 x 6 minute series is about a website set up by Mpc producer Peter Slee in 2009 called charityporn.com.

The story follows the fortunes of the character whose life is turned upside-down as his website takes off.

It is being shot in January and February, and is scheduled for an early release online in 2013. The cast has yet to be announced.

The series is to be distributed next year via video sharing sites and the website thecpinitiative.com.

Peter Slee, who is creative director on the project, explained: “A web-series plays to our strengths and, as we’ve seen recently, content that is daring can find an audience online. Traditional distribution is increasingly looking to online for new talent, new ideas, and entertainment with proven audiences.”

Banas has written for TV shows including City Homicide,...

It.s not surprising that comedic actor Ed Kavalee.s debut telemovie Scumbus is about to hit screens. What is surprising is that he used his life savings to self-fund the project, which was strong enough to attract come of the biggest names in Australian comedy including Glenn Robbins, Tony Martin, Peter Helliar and Dave Hughes.

.What do they tell you not to do? Don.t put your own money in,. Kavalee says. .But I didn.t have a choice . what am I going to do? Ring up a funding body and say I have this idea for a comedy telemovie? They would have hung up straight away. You know you get to this point where you say .I.ve got to do something.....

Kavalee has been winning fans over the past six years on radio and as a host and performer on TV shows such Thank God You.re Here; TV Burp; Santo,...

It.s not surprising that comedic actor Ed Kavalee.s debut telemovie Scumbus is about to hit screens. What is surprising is that he used his life savings to self-fund the project, which was strong enough to attract come of the biggest names in Australian comedy including Glenn Robbins, Tony Martin, Peter Helliar and Dave Hughes.

.What do they tell you not to do? Don.t put your own money in,. Kavalee says. .But I didn.t have a choice . what am I going to do? Ring up a funding body and say I have this idea for a comedy telemovie? They would have hung up straight away. You know you get to this point where you say .I.ve got to do something.....

Kavalee has been winning fans over the past six years on radio and as a host and performer on TV shows such Thank God You.re Here,...

There may be a lot of truth to the idea that Liz & Dick is (one of) the most talked about movie of the year, but I’m not absolutely sure it’s a claim I would feature.

Good or bad, Lindsay Lohan or no, and if you’re the right crowd, Lifetime or no, there’s no denying that the movie takes on interesting subject matter, and is potentially well worth watching just to catch some glimpse into the lives of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Of course, I don’t know that it has anything to say that isn’t well-worn material, but it’s worth finding out.

What do you think about this one, and is the movie, wherever it lands, overshadowed simply by the fact that Lohan is in it? I’d like to know where the public is coming down on this one. Will you watch?...

Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney. Australian actor Luke Hemsworth plans to move to Hollywood, joining his younger brothers Chris and Liam. Luke, 32, signed with Roar Management, which also reps his siblings, about a year ago. His Australian agent, Mark Morrissey, tells Deadline the actor has decided to pursue a career in the U.S. but hasn’t yet set a time to relocate because it also involves his wife and their three young children. Morrissey said Roar has been sending Luke scripts but he hasn’t committed to anything. Luke starred in Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, a miniseries that chronicled a war between Sydney two motorcycle clubs in 1984 which resulted in the deaths of seven people; it aired this month on Network Ten. Luke began his acting career in the children’s series The Saddle Club almost 10 years ago, before either of his brothers entered the business.

Grant Bowler / Richard Burton: Liz & Dick Grant Bowler as Richard Burton in Lifetime’s fall movie Liz & Dick looks less convincing than Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor. Burton met Taylor at the time the two were making Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. A troubled production, Cleopatra was initially to have starred Taylor, Peter Finch, and Stephen Boyd, under the direction of Rouben Mamoulian. Mamoulian left, Taylor fell seriously ill, nearly died, and had to have a tracheotomy performed. The end result was a Best Actress Academy Award for her troubles (and for Butterfield 8) and brand new leading men for Cleopatra: Richard Burton as Marc Antony and Rex Harrison as Julius Caesar. By then, Cleopatra also had a new director: two-time Best Director Oscar winner Joseph L. Mankiewicz. A respected stage and screen actor in the ’60s, Richard Burton was nominated for seven Academy Awards. Best Supporting Actor...

Lee

Holmes

The creators of Packed To The Rafters are to share the story of how they created the drama juggernaut at Mumbrella360.

Writer Bevan Lee and Seven’s head of drama John Holmes will tell the story of how Packed To The Rafters, now in its fifth series, came together. They will explore the reasons for the show’s success, discuss what other TV networks and programs can learn from the model, and talk about what the future holds for the show.

As well as Packed To The Rafters, the duo’s other other recent creation is lottery drama Winners & Loser along with the forthcoming A Place To Call Home. Lee also wrote the first episode of Home & Away.

Holmes has executive produced series including Blue Heelers, Home and Away, All Saints, Packed to the Rafters and Winners & Losers.

Lee writes a monthly column for Encore magazine.

Although ratings...

William McInnes has revealed that he felt "abandoned" when his wife died. The Australian actor, who is best known for his roles in TV shows such as SeaChange and Blue Heelers, lost filmmaker Sarah Watt to cancer last November and has now admitted that his life hasn't felt "quite right" since she left him. McInnes told National Features: "It's an odd feeling of being abandoned and marooned, but it's no-one's fault and it's just a new way of living your life. That can be terribly hard to comprehend, especially when it's sort of public. "It's not that you don't laugh or you stop having fun or enjoying life, you just know something's not quite right. Sometimes it's just too hard and you can't deal with it and you just feel like jumping in a hole. There are lots of people (more)...

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...

Note to overseas Irish pub bartenders: you may have been fooled by Australian actor Ben Esler.

.We would go to the Irish pub and try it out and either it worked or they were very polite . nobody said anything,. Esler says of his Irish impression.

That thick Irish impression has been one of his keys to success in Tinseltown, utilising it on new AMC production, Hell On Wheels.

Other actors on the series including Phil Burke, Colm Meaney and Dominique McElligott helped the 29-year-old Melbourne actor get the accent down for his character, Sean McGinnes . who.s .a little budding Al Capone..

.Sean is a guy who.s come from poverty and he.s desperate to make it in America but he.s a little bit ruthless and he can be a bit scary and dangerous sometimes,. Esler says of the young Irishman looking to make his fortune in the west.

No doubt Australian morning show host Kerri-Anne Kennerley has been enjoying sleeping-in since her long-running show was given the axe from Channel Nine late last year.

But now the bubbly TV presenter is back with a new timeslot, a new show and importantly, a new network.

The host of Kerri-Anne (formerly Mornings with Kerri-Anne) for almost a decade, Kennerley has joined rival Channel Seven, after she was famously replaced by Sonia Kruger.

In what is a big coup for Channel Seven, she will front a new primetime project later in the year, but the details remain sketchy. In media interviews, she said however that it wouldn't be an interview show.

It's also been announced that she will be the first contestant on a new series of ratings juggernaut, Dancing With The Stars.

A statement, issued yesterday morning, said Kennerley would also feature across some of the network.s established shows.

Local actor Grant Bowler has been cast as a lead in a new Us science-fiction show.

Known for performances locally in Blue Heelers and The Mole and across the Pacific in Ugly Betty and Lost, the Australian actor will be seen on Syfy series Defiance.

The live-action drama is penned by Farscape creator Rockne S. O.Bannon.

.Grant.s charismatic charm and his depth as an actor make him the perfect anchor as we build the ensemble for this sweeping adventure series,. Syfy.s president of original content Mark Stern said in a statement.

"We.re very excited to have him join us on this incredible journey."

Directed by Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest), the series is set on a future earth where humans and aliens are living together on a planet ravished by decades of war and transformed by alien terra-forming machines.

Bowler plays Jeb Nolan, a former marine and...

Local actor Grant Bowler has been cast as a lead in a new Us science-fiction show. Known for performances locally in Blue Heelers and The Mole and across the Pacific in Ugly Betty and Lost, the Australian actor will be seen on Syfy series Defiance. The live-action drama is penned by Farscape creator Rockne S. O.Bannon. .Grant.s charismatic charm and his depth as an actor make him the perfect anchor as we build the ensemble for this sweeping adventure series,. Syfy.s president of original content Mark Stern said in a statement. "We.re very excited to have him join us on this incredible journey." Directed by Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest), the series is set on a future earth where humans and aliens are living together on a...

Local actor Grant Bowler has been cast as a lead in a new Us science-fiction show. Known for performances locally in Blue Heelers and The Mole and across the Pacific in Ugly Betty and Lost, the Australian actor will be seen on Syfy series Defiance. The live-action drama is penned by Farscape creator Rockne S. O.Bannon. .Grant.s charismatic charm and his depth as an actor make him the perfect anchor as we build the ensemble for this sweeping adventure series,. Syfy.s president of original content Mark Stern said in a statement. "We.re very excited to have him join us on this incredible journey." Directed by Scott Stewart (Legion, Priest), the series is set on a future earth where humans and aliens are living together on a...

H20: Just Add Water producer Jonathan M. Shiff is now dipping his toes into the family drama pond. Today, the renowned kids TV producer, also known for such series as Ocean Girl and The Elephant Princess, is starting production on new show Reef Doctors, starring four-time Gold Logie Award winner Lisa McCune (Blue Heelers, Sea Patrol). The 13x1-hour action adventure family drama follows Sam (McCune) . a Gp single mother with a freespirit and a determination who has an unusual hobby: venom. Running the remote Hope Island Clinic, Sam is an accomplished doctor, who, with her team, looks after the residents of all the neighbouring islands, as well as the holiday makers and thrillseekers who visit the area. The residents of the tiny island pull together through thick and thin, proving...

Essential Media goes into production on Monday to make two tele-movies based on the character of Jack Irish.

The films come from the creative team behind ABC’s other successful lawyer program Rake, Jack Irish will be directed by Jeffrey Walker and produced by Ian Collie of Essential Media and Entertainment, and adapted by Andrew Knight and Matt Cameron. It will be filmed in and around Melbourne.

The two films; Jack Irish: Bad Debts, and Jack Irish Black Tide, will star Guy Pearce as Jack Irish, the former criminal lawyer, collector of bad debts, footy fan, trainee cabinetmaker and sometime lover.

The two films will also feature Martin Sacks (The Cup, Blue Heelers), Emma Booth (Cloudstreet, Underbelly), Don Hany (Offspring), Colin Friels (Killing Time, Blackjack) and more.

We last saw Guy Pearce on the small screen in his Emmy winning role as Monty in mini-series Mildred Pierce.

Jack Irish: Bad Debts...

Look Both Ways director Sarah Watt is fighting for her life after being diagnosed with secondary bone cancer. The award-winning 52-year-old Australian filmmaker, who is married to SeaChange and Blue Heelers actor William McInnes, discovered a sore area on her ribs about two years ago. Watt made the discovery shortly after celebrating five years since a successful fight against breast cancer. The couple, who are writing a book called Worst Things Happen At Sea, said that they are now making the most of every day they have together with their children Clem and Stella. Watt told Woman's Day magazine: "I don't know when I will (more)...