by FilmInk Staff
Described as “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,” Firebite is expected to broadcast on AMC+ at the end of this year, following its shoot 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.
Comprised of 8 x 1 hour episodes, Firebite is set in a desert mining town, which is 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?”
Rachel Gardner, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Simon Gillis will produce for See-Saw Films, alongside Thornton and Fletcher. Paul Ranford (Stateless, True History of the Kelly Gang) will also produce 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 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,” said Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher in a statement. The two filmmakers last worked together on Thornton’s 2017 documentary We Don’t Need a Map.
“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, which most famously and successfully backed The Walking Dead. “We are excited to tell this story authentically, in Australia with Indigenous storytellers, cast and crew and on Indigenous lands.”
“It’s incredibly exciting to be bringing Warwick and Brendan’s unique vision to the screen with a high-octane explosive story that draws on the complex themes of colonisation and racial prejudice, driven by Indigenous storytellers,” said Rachel Gardner, See-Saw Films’ Head of Drama Australia and Executive Producer.
“We are thrilled to be working with Warwick Thornton and Brendan Fletcher, who are such formidable storytellers, on this hugely original, action packed new show, headlined by so many wonderfully talented Indigenous voices,” added See-Saw’s Managing Directors, and Executive Producers Emile Sherman and Iain Canning. “It’s fantastic to be collaborating once again with our friends at AMC who champion such original programming, and continually back great talent.”
