Ben Elton’s Three Summers Begins Production in WA

By Travis Johnson

Three Summers, the new romcom from writer and comedian Ben Elton, has begun production in Western Australia’s Peel Region. Robert Sheehan will star with Rebecca Breeds in the story of a group of disparate characters brought together by their repeated trips to a regional music festival over the course of three years.  John Waters, Magda Szubanski, Michael Caton, Deborah Mailman, Caroline Brazier, Kelton Pell, Peter Rowsthorn, Adrianne Daff, Sam Longley, Christiaan van Vuuren and Nick Boshier co-star in a film that promises to bring together music, romance and Elton’s trademark withering satire.

This marks the first Australian feature film from longtime WA resident Elton, whose best known works include the TV series Blackadder and The Young Ones, and a number of largely comic novels that began with 1989’s Stark. His last outing as director was the British comedy, Maybe Baby, back in 2000. “Festivals are the great levellers,” Elton observed. “We’re all equal in the queue for the Portaloos and no one looks cool dancing in a swamp. Stories collide, cultures clash and romance blossoms beneath the glorious Australian sun. Then it rains. Whoever said music was the food of love didn’t play the theremin.

“I have always wanted to make a film set in an iconic Australian landscape that speaks to audiences around the world. To see Three Summers come to life and go into production and to have such an extremely talented ensemble cast attached really is a dream come true.”