I cannot speak for everyone’s experience with High School English classes in Australia, but I can say with absolute certainty that a very bloody large proportion of you definitely studied at least one, if not all, of the following texts at some point:
- The 1981 film ‘Gallipoli‘.
- ‘Looking For Alibrandi,’ either the book and/or the film.
- A Shakespearean play; ‘Romeo & Juliet‘ if your teacher was standard, ‘Macbeth‘ if they were a bit ~ZANY~.
- ‘Animal Farm‘
- ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock‘
The latter of which has done a pretty bang-up job of spooking everyone, whether it be the OG book by Joan Lindsay, or the iconic 1975 film adaptation from Peter Weir.
And in this banner age of Australian TV drama, there’s not really gonna be any better time to revisit one of our all-time best works of fiction.
Foxtel has announced the colonial mystery-drama will be returning to screens soon in the form of a new 6-part premium drama series.
The new series will be follow the novel, rather than be a straight-up remake of the film, and is being put together as a joint-production of both Foxtel and FremantleMedia.
Foxtel’s head of drama Penny Win lauded today’s announcement as another big step forward for high quality, premium-style TV drama production in Australia.
“We are very proud to commission this exciting television event drama exclusively for Foxtel subscribers. Like many others, I am a fan of the 1975 Australian film, which was pivotal in establishing the modern Australian film industry.”
“This series, based on the classic novel, will take viewers on a new and in depth journey into this incredibly iconic Australian story.”“Our aim is to provide a rich and diverse slate of Australian drama for our viewers and Picnic at Hanging Rock is a story that we feel will intrigue and enthral a contemporary audience.”
Meanwhile co-executive producer and FremantleMedia head of drama Jo Porter stressed the timelessness of the original tale, as well as the strength of the new scripts, written by Beatrix Christian and Alice Addison.
“It is testament to the originality of author, Joan Lindsay, that her novel – charting the chilling mystery of the inexplicable disappearance of the three school girls and their teacher at Hanging Rock and the secrets this event lays bare in its wake – still feels just as fresh, unsettling and relevant today.”“Bea Christian and Alice Addison’s incredible scripts are both brilliant renderings of this mystery and provocative explorations of the underlying themes of gender, control, identity and burgeoning sexuality.”
The production is currently casting the series, which follows the mysterious disappearance of three schoolgirls and their teacher while on a Valentine’s Day picnic in 1900.
Foxtel expects to air the series on Showcase in 2017.
Source: Mumbrella.
