Production has begun on a second season of “ Scrublands ,” the Australian crime thriller series starring Luke Arnold (“Black Sails”) and Bella Heathcote (“The Neon Demon,” “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies”). With action set a year after the events of the first season, award-winning investigative journalist Martin Scarsden (Arnold) has returned to his coastal hometown, Port Silver, in Western Australia , to set up a new life with partner Mandy Bond (Heathcote). When he arrives to find his childhood friend Jasper brutally murdered and Bond the prime suspect, Scarsden struggles with doubts – about Bond and about his own ability to recognize the truth.
As he pushes forward to find the real murderer and absolve Bond, Scarsden confronts secrets about Port Silver and his long-buried past. The series is directed by Ben Young and written by Felicity Packard, Fiona Kelly and Jock Serong. It is based on “Silver,” the best-selling novel by Chris Hammer that is a sequel to the author’s “Scrublands” title.
The show is an Easy Tiger and Third Act Stories production co-commissioned by Australian streamer Stan and 9Network, both components of the Nine Entertainment group. Production is by Martha Coleman with Ian Collie, Rob Gibson and Packard. Executive producers are Michael Healy and Andy Ryan from the 9Network and Cailah Scobie and Alicia Brown for Stan.
The show has major production investment from Screenwest, Lotterywest and the WA Regional Screen Fund. It was .