Prime Video has started production on the new Australian series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, with Jacob Elordi leading an Australian and international cast in the five-part drama.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning 2013 novel of the same name. The series will adapt the story of WWII Lieutenant Dorrigo Evans, and how a love affair with Amy Mulvaney shaped his life.
The story is confirmed to be told ‘over multiple time periods’, starting from Evans’ childhood to his experience as a prisoner-of-war on the Thailand-Burma Railway, and later in life as a surgeon and Australian war veteran.
Jacob Elordi is returning to Australia to play the lead role of the younger Dorrigo Evans (1940s). Other cast members include Odessa Young (Amy Mulvaney), Olivia DeJonge (younger Ella), and Simon Baker (Keith). In the latter half of the series, the cast will feature Ciarán Hinds playing the older Dorrigo, with Heather Mitchell (older Ella). Thomas Weatherall (Frank Gardiner), Show Kasamatsu (Major Nakamura), and Charles An (The Goanna) will also join the cast.
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‘With talents like Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds and Odessa Young at the helm, The Narrow Road to the Deep North promises to be a cinematic, visceral, and undeniable contemporary love story, which explores the power of mateship and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity,’ said Sarah Christie, senior development executive at Amazon MGM Studios.
‘We just know that this series is going to resonate with customers in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and are proud to be partnering with Curio Pictures’ Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner, who will bring this incredible story to life alongside the award-winning director and executive producer Justin Kurzel, and award-winning writer and executive producer Shaun Grant.’
The five-part drama series, adapted by writer Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel, will launch on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The series will be distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television. Principal production funding is provided by Screen Australia, with assistance from the NSW Government through Screen NSW’s Made in NSW and PDV Funds.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North is produced by Curio Pictures in Australia. Working with Curio Pictures’ executive producers Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner, the series is adapted by writer Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel, who both serve as executive producers, with Alexandra Taussig producing.
