On Monday, AMC+ announced the start of production on the Original Series “Firebite” in South Australia this week, with Yael Stone (“Orange is the New Black”), Rob Collins (“Cleverman,” “Extraction”) and Callan Mulvey (“Avengers: End Game”) in leading roles. The series will also introduce Indigenous Australian star Shantae Barnes-Cowan. A co-production between AMC Studios and See-Saw Films, “Firebite” is a high-octane, highly original spin on the Vampire genre and fantasy series that follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson (Collins) and Shanika (Barnes-Cowan), on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the South Australian desert.
Created and written by Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous auteur voice, Warwick Thornton (“Samson and Delilah,” “Sweet Country”), “Firebite” is set in a remote desert mining town, a hive for the last vampire stronghold shipped from Britain to Australia in 1788 by the colonial superpower to eradicate the Indigenous populations. Sheltering from the sun in the underground mines and tunnels that surround the town until the present day, the colony’s numbers and hunger is growing. War is coming. Tyson and Shanika stand vanguard to the war. But what hope does an expertly reckless man full of bravado and a 17-year-old orphan possibly have to defeat these vicious blood-thirsty parasites when legions of warriors before them have failed?
Thornton will also direct the series along with Brendan Fletcher (“Mad Bastards”) and Tony Krawitz (“The Tall Man,” “Dead Europe”),
“Our only rule [in casting] was to find great people, no matter where they came from. We have actors who’ve worked on big Hollywood blockbusters, and others that are flying in from remote Aboriginal communities who light up the screen with natural presence,” said Thornton and Fletcher. “To us, they are all movie stars.”
Kristin Jones is overseeing the series for AMC Networks. Executive Producers for See-Saw Films are Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, alongside Rachel Gardner, Thornton, and Fletcher. See-Saw’s Simon Gillis serves as co-executive producer, with Libby Sharpe as co-producer and Billy Bowring as associate producer. Paul Ranford (“Stateless,” “True History of the Kelly Gang”) will produce the series alongside Indigenous filmmaker Dena Curtis (“Elements,” “Grace Beside Me”), who is co-producing. The writing team includes Kodie Bedford and newcomers Devi Telfer and Josh Sambono.
“We are committed to creating compelling programming with diverse voices and representation for our viewers, and Firebite delivers on this goal,” said Jones. “We’re thrilled to bring this unique original series to life authentically with a stellar cast and crew on Indigenous lands with Indigenous storytelling.”
“Firebite” is comprised of eight one-hour episodes set to debut on AMC+ this winter. The series has received major funding from the South Australian Film Corporation. The production is providing employment opportunities for First Nations practitioners.
