AMC Studios on Tuesday announced that it has greenlit a new original series called “Firebite.” A co-production with See-Saw Films, the series will be filmed in Australia this summer and is expected to appear on AMC+ later this year.
“Firebite” is a high-octane, highly original spin on the Vampire genre and fantasy series that follows two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and Shanika, on their quest to battle the last colony of vampires in the middle of the South Australian desert.
Created, written and to be directed by Australia’s most celebrated Indigenous auteur voice, Warwick Thornton (“Samson and Delilah,” “Sweet Country”) together with Brendan Fletcher (“Mad Bastards”), the series 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?
The season will be comprised of eight, one-hour episodes and will be filmed on the traditional Country of the Antakirinja Matu-Yankunytjatjara people of the Western Desert and Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains in and around Adelaide, the regional town of Coober Pedy and at the Adelaide Studios in South Australia.
“This is an original and highly entertaining series we can’t wait to bring to AMC+, and one that expands our already fruitful creative partnership with See-Saw Films after very successful collaborations on the wildly original State of the Union and the rare gem that was Top of the Lake,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks and co-head of AMC Studios. “We are excited to tell this story authentically, in Australia with Indigenous storytellers, cast and crew and on Indigenous lands.”
Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher said, “We are really proud of the worthy and important stories we’ve brought to the screen over the last twenty years. Now it’s time for some rock and roll.”
Warwick Thornton is one of Australia’s most notable directors and Indigenous voices. Thornton and Brendan Fletcher are both known for their powerful and gritty feature films. “Samson and Delilah” won the Camera D’Or at Cannes and “Sweet Country” won the Special Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival as well as the Platform Prize at the Toronto Film Festival. Mad Bastards was nominated for the Special Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival. Together Brendan and Warwick were commissioned by the Australian Government to co-direct the first ever International TV campaign to promote Aboriginal Tourism. The campaign was seen by over 30 million people worldwide. They collaborated again on the Award-Winning documentary “We Don’t Need A Map,” which opened the 2017 Sydney Film Festival. “Firebite” is their first television series as Creators – their goal was to create something they want to watch – fast paced, highly imagined and entertaining.
Executive Producers for See-Saw Films are Rachel Gardner, Emile Sherman and Iain Canning, alongside Thornton and Fletcher. See-Saw’s Simon Gillis serves as Co-Executive 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 include Kodie Bedford and newcomers Devi Telfer and Josh Sambono.
