Cleverman Gears Up for U.S., Australian Premieres

NEW YORK/SYDNEY: The new genre drama Cleverman will launch in the U.S. on SundanceTV on June 1 at 10 p.m. and in Australia on ABC and ABC iview on June 2 at 9:30 p.m.

Based on an original concept by Ryan Griffen, Cleverman is set in a near future within a conflicted and anxious society, fearful of a minority group living among them, endowed with extraordinary physical traits. The drama is rooted in Aboriginal mythology.

The cast is led by Iain Glen (Game of Thrones), Frances O’Connor (The Missing), Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires), Hunter Page-Lochard (The Sapphires), Rob Collins and Stef Dawson (The Hunger Games). The series is produced by Goalpost Pictures Australia and New Zealand’s Pukeko Pictures for ABC TV Australia in co-production with SundanceTV and Red Arrow International, with the assistance of Screen Australia, Screen NSW and the New Zealand Screen Production Grant. Red Arrow International distributes Cleverman worldwide.

“Cleverman is that rare feat of a well-crafted genre series that reimagines what a superhero is, and a compelling character drama that also has something important to say about the world we live in today,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Ryan Griffen’s use of Aboriginal mythology as a way into the larger issue of how we treat indigenous and immigrant populations makes for a very potent piece of storytelling from a very authentic voice that is both entertaining and relevant. We are proud to share this with audiences in the U.S. at the same time as our partners in Australia.”

“Cleverman marks a new era for Australia’s production sector, inviting audiences to experience a bold new story world where Aboriginal storytelling meets high-concept genre drama,” said Sally Riley, the head of Indigenous at ABC TV. “With an 80 percent Indigenous cast, Cleverman sets the benchmark for diversity on Australian television, and its contemporary themes set in the near future will resonate widely among diverse audiences. We are delighted that our co-partners SundanceTV will screen the show to its U.S. audiences in line with when our Australian audiences will experience it. A global television event for an Indigenous authored show…we’re excited!”

Griffen added: “I have a huge love of superheroes and comics. It got me thinking about creating something cultural that my young son could connect to on a superhero basis. I wanted to bring something Aboriginal, Indigenous, to that world. As the son of a light-skinned Aboriginal man and a light-skinned Aboriginal woman, it was important for me that my son had a cultural superhero that he could look up to as a young Aboriginal person… something he could connect to that was also entertaining.”