NINE announce new UNDERBELLY-style drama series based on the life of LAWYER X

Viewers look set to have a choice when it comes to telling the tale of infamous Criminal Lawyer/Police Informant, Nicola Gobbo, with confirmation NINE will produce a drama based on her life story.

The move follows an announcement from Foxtel last month that it will also produce an 8-part drama series based on the woman behind some of the state’s biggest criminal cases in modern history.

Nicola Gobbo, the Melbourne-based lawyer, known as Lawyer X or Informer 3838, represented some of the gangland wars most infamous figures including Carl Williams and Tony Mokbel and provided intel and information that helped convict hundreds of criminals and drug traffickers.

The NINE drama will be produced by Screentime, the production company behind the long-running Underbelly series. Potentially this drama could see actors such as Gyton Grantley and Robert Mammone reprise their roles from previous Underbelly series.

Underbelly has been an important part of the drama line-up at NINE since the first series aired in 2008. While ratings have fluctuated over that time, last year’s Underbelly Chopper mini-series was the highest rating Australian drama of 2018.

NINE’s Director of Television, Michael Healy, confirmed the series was in pre-development, telling NINE owned masthead SMH;

“Informer 3838 is the incredible gangland war story that has it all – a rollercoaster of ambition, love, delusion, murder and epic betrayal,”

“It promises to be an explosive series about a well-connected young lawyer who put her life on the line, representing Melbourne’s underworld in court, and giving information about their criminal exploits to the police.”

The NINE drama is expected to air early in 2020.

Foxtel is yet to announce a writing team or production company for its series.