Foxtel reveals cast for Prisoner remake Wentworth
Foxtel and FremantleMedia Australia have announced the cast for the remake of classic Australian series Prisoner.
The contemporised Wentworth, which begins production next week, will see the return of Bea Smith played by Underbelly: Razor’s Danielle Cormack, Liz Birdsworth played by Celia Ireland of Laid and Franky Doyle, now a GenY lesbian, played by Rush’s Nicole Da Silva.
Kris McQuade of Killing Time will play new crime matriarch Jacs Holt and Shareena Clanton will play a young indigenous woman Doreen Anderson.
Other cast members include Catherine McClements, Kate Atkinson, Aaron Jeffrey, Robbie Magaziva and Leeanna Walsman.
Brian Walsh, Foxtel’s executive director of television said: “Wentworth will be bold Australian storytelling with this remarkable group of actors portraying the rivalries, power struggles and heartbreak of prison life in a drama tailor-made for the subscription television audience.”
FremantleMedia’s Jo Porter, director of drama and EP on Wentworth said: “Wentworth is a compelling character drama series about women and I’m absolutely thrilled with the superb cast we have assembled to bring them to life.”
Wentworth was announced in March and is scheduled to air next year.
It will screen on Fox’s new channel Soho, which also airs HBO’s The Newsroom and Damages.
Best media news of the month (early days I know). Will there be awesome lesbian tension? Will Bea ‘Top Dog’ Smith put inmates’ heads in the linen press? Will lovely old Lizzy look and sound like she’s just her 10 millionth pack of Winnie Reds? Will there be a saddo guard named Meg? Will they go with the same awesome theme song (“on the outside, where the roses grow…things were different then…”)? So many questions. I honestly can’t wait.
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I’m wary of remakes. The original had a certain campiness to it that I don’t think the Jo Porter remake is trying to replicate, which is a shame because it was part of the charm of the original series.
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Aaron Jeffrey’s performance in Underbelly Badness was awesome. I hope he brings some of that to this role. Sounds like it’ll be good.
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@Viewer, Batman tv series was campy and silly. The recent remakes have been gritty tough and taken it to an all new level.
I look forward to this an hope they get it right.
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LEAVE IT ALONE!!!! The original is a classic, dont ruin it, like all remakes do!!!
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@No Buy up for you!, I am a fan of the original Batman series. Mr. Freeze in the 1960s stood no chance against Batman’s thermal underwear. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “You’re not sending me to the cooler!”. Ugh. I’ll pass on the reimagined film series.
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I hope ‘Vinegar Tits’ will be featured.
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I know many of you are upset about this but it is a Departmental decision and it is out of my hands. You’ll just have to make do…
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I totally loved the original, but this will be a very different sort of drama. I’m looking forward to seeing an up to date version. You have to look on it as a whole new beast with nostalgic elements thrown in. Bring it on!
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49 year old American here and we received about 2 years of prisoner when it was televised. The only way to give this remake a fair chance is to view this as an outside entity to our beloved, Prisoner. Nothing can replace the brillant storylines, actors, charm of the original show. I had to put $1600 to get the boxed set of the show imported to me when the dvds came out. That decision I will never regret. The characters were written with such heart unlike most shows today which rely to much on special effects and action. I also love the original Dark Shadows and when someone sees me watching that show, all the comments are about wobbly set pieces and actors going up on their lines but one ignores these flaws because there has never been story telling like that since then. I am forever indebited to the writers and actors of prisoner for capturing me and bringing me into their extrodinary world. Love from Tom-Manassas, Va USA
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