Filming of thriller The Dispatcher to inject $45m into Victorian economy

Most of the filming for the series, based on the book of the same name by award-winning author Ryan David Jahn, will take place in regional locations putting the state’s dramatic scenery on display for a global audience. 

The adaptation was written by acclaimed Victorian writer and executive producer Kris Mrksa (Requiem, No Escape, The Murders at White House Farm) and is being directed by Emmy Award-nominated executive producer Christian Schwochow who directed three seasons of The Crown.

The cast also includes Brendan Cowell (Dune: Prophecy, Plum), Daniel Henshall (Mickey 17, How to Make Gravy), Jessica Wren (Mr. Inbetween, Return to Devil’s Playground), Zahra Newman (Thirteen Lives, Addition) and newcomer Chloe Geisker.

The series is executive produced by Emmy® award winners Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta from 60Forty Films (Slow Horses, Hijack), with executive producers Schwochow, Mrksa and Joanna Werner at Werner Film Productions, who will be providing local production services. 

Of the 730 job opportunities for Victorian screen industry workers, around 400 will be for crew, 300 for cast and extras, and there will be 15 openings for skills development opportunities for emerging screen creatives and workers.

The production will also engage 220 local businesses, and a projected $5 million is being spent in regional Victorian communities. Filming will take place at Docklands Studios Melbourne and on location in and around Warrnambool, Mornington Peninsula and the Yarra Valley.

The plotline centres around Police detective Ian Hunt (Brammall) whose life fell apart 10 years ago when his young daughter, Maggie, disappeared without a trace. Now working as a police dispatcher, the only thing that has kept him going is his implacable refusal to accept that she might be gone forever.

When he receives a distress call from a young girl he is certain is Maggie, he will stop at nothing to find her and reunite his broken family, whatever the cost.

The Dispatcher adds another premium project to Victoria’s growing pipeline of screen productions. Also, currently filming are ABC children’s series Knee High Spies and Liam Neeson action feature The Mongoose. Recent productions that have filmed in the state include drama series Love Divided By Eleven (Stan), The Family Next Door (ABC) and horror film Saccharine.

"The Dispatcher adds to our year-round pipeline of local and international blockbuster screen projects, that keeps our screen industry pumping and provides an economic boost to regional communities and the state more broadly," says Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks.

"Productions like these create jobs and engage local businesses both within and outside of the screen industry, as well as showcasing our talented crew, screen experts and incredible landscapes for the whole world to see and experience."

The project was supported by the Victorian Government through VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Incentive and the Australian Government through the Location Offset administered by the Office for the Arts.

"Victoria’s talent, diverse locations and premium facilities continue to attract international investment to our state, generating jobs and skills development opportunities for Victorian screen workers and businesses. Global audiences are in for a white-knuckle ride with The Dispatcher," says VicScreen CEO Caroline Pitcher.

Executive producer Hakan Kousetta says the State of Victoria has afforded producers an abundance of opportunities for making a series of this scale possible. 

"Fantastic facilities, competitive incentives, incredible locations and first-class crew made filming here a really easy choice," says Kousetta.

"We’re genuinely excited to be making this compelling Australian set show for international audiences to enjoy and have it serve as a showcase for what is possible to achieve in Victoria."