Māori action flick 'The Dead Lands' scores series on AMC streaming service Shudder

Māori action flick 'The Dead Lands' is set to become an eight-part series for AMC network's streaming service Shudder.

Production has commenced on the series which is based on Kiwi director Toa Fraser's global hit film of the same name.

It will focus on Waka Nuku Rau, a warrior who must find honour in a land ravaged by the supernatural. He is helped by a young woman named Mehe who is determined to help him with his cause.

The series will star Te Kohe Tuhaka (6 Days, Shortland Street) who played Wirepa in the orignal film, along with fellow Kiwis Kirk Torrance (Outrageous Fortune, The Dark Horse), Miriama Smith (Filthy Rich) and Grace Palmer (Shortland Street, Adrift) and newcomers Darneen Christian joining in the key role of Mehe and Jordi Webber in the role of Rangi.

Executive producer Matthew Metcalfe says: ""The Dead Lands' film was a seminal New Zealand story that took the Māori martial art of Mau Raku to audiences around the world. I am honoured to again lead a team of talented New Zealand actors and artisans to expand the world of the original film."

The series is being written by the film's screenwriter Glenn Standring, who will also serve as an executive producer. It will be directed by some of NZ's finest talent, including Peter Meteherangi Taiko Burger and Michael Hurst.

'The Dead Lands' will be shot in studio and on location around Auckland including the beaches of Auckland's West Coast.

The series is scheduled to air in America on Shudder and on TVNZ in 2019.

Shudder is AMC Networks' premium streaming service for thriller, suspense and horror. AMC is home to series such as 'The Walking Dead', 'Breaking Bad' and 'Into the Badlands' - the latter of which Toa Fraser has recently worked on.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.