The film crew arrived in the township of Maldon en masse last week, heavily clad with cameras, lights, and bedecked in high-vis, to commandeer the historic shopfronts for the backdrop of a new Stan original series.
Based on the bestselling crime novel written by Chris Hammer, Scrublands stars Luke Arnold (Black Sails, Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS), Bella Heathcote (the Stan original series C*A*U*G*H*T, the Stan original film Relic) and Jay Ryan (It Chapter Two, Top of the Lake).
Scrublands is an Easy Tiger production co-commissioned by Stan and the 9Network, in association with VicScreen.
The story is set in an isolated country town brought to its knees by endless drought, where a charismatic and dedicated young priest (Jay Ryan) calmly opens fire on his congregation, killing five parishioners.
One year later, investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) arrives in Riversend to write what should be a simple feature story on the anniversary of the tragedy.
But when Martin’s instincts kick in and he digs beneath the surface, the previously accepted narrative begins to fall apart and he finds himself in a life and death race to uncover the truth.
VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher said Victorian locations had been the backdrops to some of the world’s most captivating screen projects.
“We are proud to support the highly anticipated adaptation of Chris Hammer’s bestselling novel to shoot in regional Victoria,” Pitcher said.
“Scrublands is an unravelling mystery that is set to keep audiences on their toes and wanting more.
“The Easy Tiger production is set to employ over 500 Victorians, adding to the state’s pipeline of premium local productions.”
