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Australian actor Eric Bana (Hulk, Funny People) has signed on to star in the ecologically themed family film Blueback from filmmaker Robert Connolly. The duo recently worked together on crime drama The Dry, which is the biggest film of 2021 so far at the Australian box office.
Blueback is described as a family-friendly celebration of the natural world. Connolly has been developing the project, which he also wrote, for over 20 years. The film is loosely based on Booker Prize nominee Tim Winton’s critically acclaimed novella of the same name.
The film tells the story of a girl who befriends a wild blue groper while scuba diving. When she discovers the fish and its kind are under threat, she takes inspiration from her environmental activist mother to face down poachers to protect the creature. The episode marks the beginning of her life-long mission to save the world’s coral reefs.
Also set to co-star in the film are Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Crimson Peak) and Radha Mitchell (London Has Fallen, Pitch Black), along with newcomers Ariel Donoghue and Ilsa Fogg, who will both play younger versions of the lead character.
The project has begun shooting in remote Western Australia and will feature extensive underwater filming by a team of nature photographers.
Blueback is produced by Arenamedia and received production financing support from the Western Australian Regional Film Fund, Royalties for Regions, Screen Australia, Screenwest, Lotterywest and Film Victoria. Roadshow Films will distribute it in Australia and New Zealand, while the U.K.’s HanWay Films is handing international sales.
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