Netflix NT drama series Territory to debut in October

The six-part neo-Western drama Territory involves a succession clash over the world's largest cattle station with powerful factions including rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders and billionaire miners all vying for control.

Davies and West first discussed the idea for a big-scale, high-stakes action drama set on a cattle station while they were on a pandemic-era beach walk.

"It was a complete contrast as we were surrounded by the Bondi crowd, people moving past us in their active wear, wet suits, carrying their surfboards while Rob and I were dreaming up stories about people in jeans, boots, and flannel shirts in the Top End," Davies says.

The series was filmed across the Northern Territory and South Australia in remote locations such as Kakadu National Park, with special permission from the Traditional Owners, and Tipperary Station, a real-life, working cattle station that’s so large it has its own airfield and school.

Territory stars Anna Torv (Fringe), Sam Corlett (Vikings: Valhalla), Sara Wiseman (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, High Country), Clarence Ryan (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mystery Road Origin), and many more in an epic and dangerous battle for land, and legacy.

The executive producers of Territory are Davies, Rob Gibson (The Twelve, Colin from Accounts), and Ian Collie (Jack Irish, Scrublands); producer is Paul Ranford (Stateless, True History of the Kelly Gang). 

The story is written by Lee, Kodie Bedford, Steven McGregor, and Michaeley O’Brien, and directed by Greg McLean (La Brea, Wolf Creek).

The series was backed by Northern Territory Government’s Production Attraction Incentive Program (PAIP) and by funding from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) through the SAFC Screen Production Fund.

The PAIP provides an opportunity to attract large-scale Australian and international footloose productions to the Territory to build capacity of the local screen industry whilst contributing to the NT economy through employment and goods and services.  

Post-production also took place in South Australia, supported by the SAFC’s SA Post-Production, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Rebate.

"This is an ambitious Netflix series which could not have been made anywhere else but in the Territory. It captures the vastness, beauty and scale of the Territory, which is going to give this project an unparalleled sense of authenticity, aesthetic and audience appeal," Screen Territory director Jennie Hughes said when production got underway in September last year.

"Territory features all the ingredients to become a flagship Australian series with an extraordinary cast and crew featuring Australia's finest talents.

"This is the largest series ever to be filmed in the NT and Screen Territory is delighted to have contributed production finance through its Production Attraction Incentive Program to assist in bringing Territory to the NT where it belongs."

SAFC CEO Kate Croser described the collaboration, also involving award-winning production companies Easy Tiger and Ronde, was an exciting example of the fruitful screen production alliance that exists between South Australia and the Northern Territory.

"The SAFC is proud to support this exciting new series which will utilise a majority South Australian crew comprising post-production services and key creatives, including top South Australian producer Paul Ranford, and which will once again provide a showcase for our state’s screen production capability and talent," she said.

The SAFC is also supporting Adelaide-born twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou in their second feature film Bring Her Back, following global success of their horror film Talk To Me. They will again team up with Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton of Causeway Films, with the movie to be distributed worldwide by New York-based entertainment company A24.