Far North
Created byDavid White
Written byUnderbelly: Inside NZ’s Biggest Meth Bust. by Jared Savage
Screenplay byDavid White
Mingjian Cui
Suli Moa
Directed byDavid White
Mingjian Cui
Starring
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • David White
  • Kelly Martin
ProducersSally Campbell
Nicole Horan
CinematographyAdam Luxton
Production companies
Original release
NetworkTV3 (New Zealand)
Paramount+ (Australia)

Far North is a six-part comedy drama crime caper television series. Created by David White, who co-writes with Mingjian Cui and Suli Moa and co-directed with Cui, it is in-part inspired by the Jared Savage's non-fiction book Underbelly: Inside NZ’s Biggest Meth Bust. It is produced by South Pacific Pictures, and White Balance Pictures and distributed internationally by All3Media International. It stars Robyn Malcolm and Temuera Morrison as a couple mixed up with an inept drug trafficking gang.

Premise

Based on a true story, a regular couple in New Zealand get caught up with a major drug trafficking gang.

Cast

  • Robyn Malcolm as Heather
  • Temuera Morrison as Ed
  • Villa Junior Lemanu as Louie
  • Maaka Pohatu as Stevie
  • John-Paul Foliaki as Mack
  • Albert Mateni as Gravel
  • Fay Tofilau as Blaze
  • Mosa Alipate Latailakepa as Thugga
  • Fei Li as Cai
  • Dennis Zhang as Sam
  • Xana Tang as Bi
  • Demetrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Tall Guy
  • Xiao Hu as Jin

Production

The series is based on events in New Zealand from 2016, in which the largest ever drug bust in New Zealand, worth up to $150 million if sold in 1kg lots, occurred in the town of Ahipara, at the base of Ninety Mile Beach where more than 500kg of methamphetamine was discovered in a caravan and hidden in sand dunes. The story is also documented in the non-fiction book Underbelly: Inside NZ’s Biggest Meth Bust. by Jared Savage which provided information about the subsequent trial in which eight people were sent to prison for decades, having been foiled by a regular Kiwi couple.[1]

The six-part series was created, written, and directed by documentary filmmaker David White. Upon hearing the story in 2016 White “drove to Ahipara and found the couple [Ed and Heather] and I just knocked on the door”. He bought the rights to Ed’s story that day. White moved to Ahipara while he wrote the screenplay, and spent time with the couple and in the community, walking their dogs on the beach.[2]

White co-wrote with Mingjian Cui and Suli Moa. Cui also directed parts of the series. White and Kelly Martin executive produced. Martin described the budget as one of the biggest per-episode for a New Zealand television series.[3]

Casting

The cast features a mix of stellar New Zealand names Robyn Malcolm and Temuera Morrison with a cluster of screen newcomers.[4] The cast also includes Demetrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, JP Foliaki, Xiao Hu and Xana Tang.[5]

Filming

Filming took place over 14 weeks from the June of 2022. Half of those weeks were spent filming on location in Ahipara, the site of the 2016 drug bust by police.[6] Production also took place in the Northland, Hawke’s Bay and Auckland.[2]

Broadcast

The show was broadcast on TV3 and streaming service ThreeNow in New Zealand, from 14 August 2023. It was shown on Paramount+ in Australia, and is due to appear on Sundance Now in the United States. It was a huge domestic success, holding the biggest weekly viewing figures for a drama on ThreeNow since it launched.[7] [8]

References

  1. ↑ Piper, Denise (31 July 2023). "New Far North TV series tells 'insanely crazy' story of foiled drug smuggle". istuff.co.nz. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 Ward, Tara. "The unbelievable true story that inspired new local drama Far North". Thespinoff. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Whittock, Jesse (21 November 2023). "Far North': Drug Smuggling Dramedy Could Be New Zealand's Version Of 'Fargo'". Deadline Hollywood.
  4. ↑ Wikaire-Lewis, ByMana (14 August 2023). "Temuera Morrison on life as a Northlander in Far North TV series". Teaonews.co.nz. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Jensen, Myjanne (10 August 2023). "Stars attend Kaitāia preview of major new TV series shot in the Far North". NZ Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  6. ↑ Frater, Patrick (17 June 2022). "Temuera Morrison, Robyn Malcolm Star in 'Far North' New Zealand Series for Sundance Now (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "Temuera Morrison and Robyn Malcolm's crime thriller Far North hits huge viewing milestone". NZ Herald. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "'Far North': Drug Smuggling Dramedy Could Be New Zealand's Version Of 'Fargo'". Deadline.
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