Stan has today announced the casting of Jamie Dornan as the lead in the new Stan original series, The Tourist.
The Tourist is a character-driven, mystery-packed, six-part thriller charting one man’s search for his identity.
The new series which is headed up by acclaimed writers Harry and Jack Williams, has now been sold to US streaming service HBO Max in addition to Stan and BBC ONE. Production on The Tourist will begin in early 2021.
Jamie Dornan (A Private War, The Fall, Wild Mountain Thyme) stars as a British man who finds himself in the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, being pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. An epic cat and mouse chase unfolds and the man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback.
Danielle Macdonald (Stan Original Film I Am Woman, Unbelievable) will star as Helen Chambers, a fledgling Probationary Constable, and Shalom Brune-Franklin (Line of Duty, Roadkill) is set to play Luci, a waitress who’s swept into The Man’s journey for answers. Hugo Weaving (The Lord of The Rings, Patrick Melrose) plays Agent Lachlan Rogers, one of the most highly regarded detective inspectors in Australia, leading Major Crime for the state police.
Full of shocking, surprising, funny and brutal turns, The Tourist is set in a world populated by quirky, enigmatic characters and off-beat black comedy punctuates high-stakes action.
At its heart however, is a story of self-discovery with a ticking timebomb underneath: as The Man starts to uncover the mystery of who he was, he’s also forced to ask who he is now – and fast. Will he unlock the secrets of his identify before those who are trying to kill him catch up with him?
Jamie Dornan said:
“The Tourist are some of the most exciting scripts I’ve ever read. I can’t wait to go to Australia with such a talented group of people.”
Harry and Jack Williams, Writers and Managing Directors of Two Brothers Pictures said:
“We’re hugely excited about this show. It’s tonally breaking new ground for us, and having Jamie Dornan on board is the icing on the Australian cake. Thrilled to be working with Chris Sweeney again as well as the BBC, HBO Max and Stan.”
Danielle Macdonald said:
“Helen is a fascinating and intriguing character, I fell in love with her on page one. I ended up reading all the episodes in one sitting because I couldn’t put them down! I’m so excited to get to be a part of this incredible project and I can’t wait to start filming alongside the amazing cast and production team.”
Shalom Brune-Franklin said:
“This story is really unique and I’m excited to be a part of bringing it to life with this brilliant team. I’m looking forward to adding to the thrilling mystery of these scripts with the wonderfully intriguing character of Luci. It’s very exciting to be working on such a great project in Australia – it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Hugo Weaving said:
“I’m very excited to be slipping into the skin of one of the fabulously idiosyncratic characters who people the desert landscape of The Tourist. The scripts are wonderful. Dark and shocking, surprising and hilarious and always very human. This is a tonally uniquely project and should be an unforgettable ride and shoot for us all.”
Nick Forward, Stan’s Chief Content Officer said:
“Set in Australia’s iconic outback, The Tourist is an incredible cat and mouse story. We’re thrilled to have Jamie Dornan as the lead in this original series, along with a strong local cast including Danielle Macdonald, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Hugo Weaving.
Working with world class partners like BBC One, HBO Max and Two Brothers Pictures, along with local partners South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and Highview Productions, The Tourist is a remarkable original series – and our biggest one yet. We can’t wait to bring this thrilling six-part series to Stan.”
Heading into production in early 2021, The Tourist is produced by Two Brothers Pictures and written by Jack and Harry Williams in association with Highview Productions, All3Media International and the South Australian Film Corporation.
HBO MAX is also confirmed as the US broadcaster and ZDF as the German broadcaster, having been commissioned last year by BBC One in association with Stan, the Australian co-commissioning partner.
The Stan Original Series also received funding from the Australian Government under the Location Incentive program.
Further casting will be announced in due course.
