Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin’s Upright Season 2 will be filmed in Queensland next year, boosting Queensland’s economy and creating hundreds of local jobs.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the popular drama series by Lingo Pictures for Foxtel and Sky UK was expected to inject $4.9 million into the economy and create 490 jobs for Queensland crew and on-screen talent.
“This is another feather in the cap of Queensland’s booming screen industry and a welcome addition to the long list of productions, including Universal Studios Group’s Joe Exotic, Fremantle Australia’s Taylor’s Island, ABC’s Troppo, Netflix’s True Spirit and Queensland-made production Christmas on the Farm by Hoodlum Entertainment for Stan,” the Premier said.
“My government is proud to support the production through Screen Queensland because building a sustainable industry for Queensland, means thousands of jobs for local screen practitioners and millions of dollars for our state economy.”
The first season of Upright, filmed in South Australia and Western Australia, saw adrift musician Lucky (played by Minchin) and teenage rebel Meg (played by Milly Alcock) travel across the Nullarbor, to Perth to deliver an upright piano. The show was nominated for Best International Drama at the Edinburgh TV Awards and won Best Comedy Series at the AACTA Awards.
In Season 2, Lucky and Meg hit the road on another mission, trading the desert for the steamy tropics of Far North Queensland (which will be filmed in South East Queensland).
Screen Queensland Chief Creative Officer Jo Dillon said the production will have enormous Australian and international market appeal, taking Queensland into the living rooms of audiences around the world.
“Upright is quirky, clever Australian comedy at its best, with a Queensland producer Meg O’Connell (Robbie Hood, Retrograde) alongside Lingo Pictures’ Jason Stephens (Lambs of God) and featuring Tim Minchin, who is one of the country’s most celebrated, multi-talented artists both on and off-screen,” Ms Dillon said.
Lingo Pictures’ Helen Bowden (The Secrets She Keeps) is Executive Producer on the show together with Minchin who is also writing alongside Niki Aken (The Hunting), Ian Meadows (Seachange) and Natesha Somasundaram (The Unlisted).
Upright Season 2 also received major production investment from Screen Australia, with support from Screen NSW and post-production studio Cutting Edge. International sales will be managed by Entertainment One (eOne).
Upright Season 1 is available now in Australia on Foxtel and Binge
