“Lord of the Rings,” “Elvis” and “Faraway Downs” star David Wenham is to reprise one of other his best-known roles in upcoming feature “SPIT.”
The picture is a sequel to 2003 comedy crime thriller “Gettin’ Square,” in which Wenham played Johnny ‘Spit’ Spitteri, a recently-released ex-convict and Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) played an older brother trying to keep the kid out of trouble.
Production of “SPIT” has got underway in Gold Coast and Brisbane, Queensland and will continue through May.
The new film is directed by ‘Gettin’ Square” and “The Railway Man” director Jonathan Teplitzky, from a screenplay by Queensland-based writer and lawyer Christopher Nyst.
It is produced by Trish Lake of Queensland-based Freshwater Pictures alongside Greg Duffy, Felicity McVay and Wenham. It received major production investment from Screen Australia with local distribution by Transmission Films and international rights sales managed by Moviehouse Entertainment.
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In “SPIT,’ Spitteri finds himself locked up in an immigration detention centre upon his return to Australia. With old enemies on his tail and a target on his back, he navigates a series of comedic misadventures, sharing with his fellow detainees the meaning of mateship and what it is to be truly Australian.
“Barely a day goes by when I am not asked about Johnny Spitieri, a character I played more than 20 years ago. Spit was a character that endeared himself to audiences—bad habits, bad haircut and bad fashion aside, he was the quintessential Everyman, a little man doing his best under seemingly impossible circumstances,” said Wenham.
Returning cast includes Helen Thomson, David Field, David Roberts and Gary Sweet, with ‘Spit’ also introducing new characters to be played by Arlo Green, Ayik Daniel Chut Deng, Sam and Teagan Rybka (The Rybka Twins) and Sami Afuni.
Returning crew includes Garry Phillips as director of photography, Nick McCallum as production designer, Julie Forster as consulting line producer, Greg Apps as casting director, Sheila Lind as production account and Tess Natoli as hair and make-up designer.
Supported through the Queensland state’s Screen Finance Fund, “Spit” is calculated to inject approximately A$7.2 million ($4.75 million) into the state economy while creating 120 employment opportunities for local cast, crew and creatives. It will also employ 250 extras.
“Australia has seen a lot of changes in 22 years, and while SPIT holds onto many of the values of the original movie, it’s definitely a story that resonates with contemporary audiences. We want to make a new movie that is exciting and that embraces the Gold Coast and Queensland culture, but one that will stand the test of time, just like the original has done,” said Lake.
