Australian Film and Television Production Company, the NRS GROUP, which owns the Lachlan River Studio at the former site of Lachlan Industries is working with Jackie Chan’s company, the JC GROUP, to finalise his involvement in a feature film set in one of the most significant events in Australia’s history.
The feature film, Crucible Gold, is a fictional adventure set in the exciting and tumultuous times of the 1860’s gold-rush in Central NSW when people from all around the world, including thousands of Chinese, flocked to remote areas of the colonies to find their fortune.
“And find fortunes they did, with the first miners to arrive literally picking up handfuls of nuggets” said Graham Patrick, Managing Director of the NRS Group.
“With such a huge influx of people and little or no law, it was survival of the fittest with deprivation, crime and debauchery a fact of everyday life. It’s a great basis for a ripping yarn, and although it happened almost 150 years ago the story has messages that are still relevant for us today”.
Following an initial meeting several weeks ago at the NRS Canberra studios with representatives of the JC GROUP the Managing Director of NRS, Graham Patrick, visited Beijing for further meetings and to attended the World Premiere of the new Jackie Chan/Jet Li movie Forbidden Kingdom in April.
Revisions are currently being made to the script and once finalised and agreed the production will be submitted for official co-production certification.
“Australia and China will be the primary markets but we believe the story will have a universal appeal and will connect with audiences around the world,” Mr Patrick said.
The NRS Group recently completed work on a 100 x 30’ episode series about the history of the western world filmed around the globe in High Definition.
The series is currently being broadcast each day on the Chinese National broadcaster, CCTV to positive reviews.
This will be the second project the company has worked on with the broadcaster.
“We are pleased to be dealing with and the JC GROUP and the China Movie Channel (CCTV6), both who have such a high status in the industry and a deep knowledge of the Chinese cinema and broadcast audience,” Mr Patrick said.
As part of the agreement the JC Group will have casting rights for Chinese characters with Jackie’s actor son, Jaycee Chan, and the winner of the Jackie Chan Disciple competition, a reality style show currently broadcast in China, likely to take leading roles.
Casting for the western characters has now started with Nicholas Hope (AFI Best Actor award for “Bad Boy Bubby”), John Seru (James Bond – The World Is Not Enough, Vulcan – GLADIATORS) and Bobby Farquhar (UCLA Festival Best Actor Award 2006) selected for roles.
Other actors, both in Australia and overseas have been approached and it is expected these will be confirmed in the near future.
Crucible Gold will be the first major production in the new Lachlan River Studios, a substantial production facility NRS has established in Cowra.
A re-creation of the goldfields on the back-lot has already commenced and around 95% of the story will be filmed either on the back-lot or in the 11,000m2 of sound stages available at the site.