Will Forte & D’Arcy Carden to Lead Sunny Nights Cast

Will Forte (The Last Man on Earth, Bodkin) and D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place, Barry, A League of Their Own) have been cast in Sunny Nights, an upcoming comedic drama for Stan.

The series centers on siblings Martin and Vicki, played by Forte and Carden, respectively, who venture to Sydney, Australia, to start their own spray-tan business. When they get caught up in the city’s criminal underworld, they must figure out how to stay alive, out of prison and in the black.

Sunny Nights also stars Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Heartbreak High), Jessica De Gouw (C*A*U*G*H*T, The Drover’s Wife), Megan Wilding (Gold Diggers, Mystery Road: Origin), Ra Chapman (White Fever, Wentworth), Miritana Hughes (Wakefield, Preacher), George Mason (Exposure, Black Snow, The Power of the Dog), Matuse (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, The Fall Guy) and former professional rugby league footballer Willie Mason in his debut role.

The series is produced by Jungle Entertainment and Echo Lake Entertainment in association with Cineflix Rights. It received major production investment from Stan and Screen Australia, with financial support from Screen NSW through the Made in NSW Fund. Cineflix Rights is handling international distribution.

The series is created by the writing team Nick Keetch and Ty Freer (High Fire, Almost Paradise). Episodes are written by Keetch, Freer, Marieke Hardy (Heartbreak High), Lally Katz (Wentworth), Clare Sladden (Eden) and Niki Aken (The Newsreader). Bridget Callow-Wright (Population 11) is a producer.

Executive producers include Shay Spencer (Wakefield), Jason Burrows (No Activity) and Chloe Rickard (Wakefield) for Jungle Entertainment; Doug Mankoff, Andrew Spaulding, Chris Davis and Amotz Zakai for Echo Lake Entertainment (The Great); Myra Model of Myra Model Management; Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie for Stan; James Durie and Tom Misselbrook for Cineflix Rights; and Forte and Carden.

“We’re incredibly proud to once again be working with Trent O’Donnell and Jungle Entertainment on another fantastic Stan original series, this time with the added creative force of Echo Lake Entertainment and global content leader Cineflix Rights,” said Cailah Scobie, chief content officer at Stan. “Sunny Nights has been superbly cast with Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden in the lead, and their comedic expertise alongside a cast of Aussie talent promises to deliver a dangerously hilarious series that will resonate both locally and abroad.”

“Sunny Nights is a unique and clever concept with worldwide appeal thanks to this highly skilled creative team and strong local and international cast,” commented Grainne Brunsdon, COO of Screen Australia. “With a combination of high stakes drama and many very funny scenes, I’m confident this tale of sibling misadventure will make for compelling viewing.”

James Durie, head of scripted at Cineflix Rights, added, “Trent O’Donnell and the creative team behind Sunny Nights have been responsible for some of the funniest, most successful international hit TV series of the past few years. Their incredible talent, combined with fantastic cast led by Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden, give Sunny Nights huge global appeal. We are thrilled to be financing and distributing the series.”

“The brilliant scripts, coupled with the incredible talent we have working on this series, both behind and in front of the camera—led by Trent O’Donnell—is going to make this very special,” said Jason Burrows, executive producer for Jungle Entertainment.

Doug Mankoff, executive producer for Echo Lake, commented, “Collaborating with Jungle to bring Sunny Nights to fruition has been incredibly rewarding. Sometimes you have to believe a project into existence, but having great partners is crucial. Stan and Cineflix Rights also have been amazing, and we are grateful for their extraordinary commitment to this gem of a show.”

Kyas Hepworth, head of Screen NSW, added, “Screen NSW are thrilled to support Sunny Nights, which promises to be another standout series from Trent O’Donnell and the team at Jungle Entertainment, who consistently produce premium Australian content that is enjoyed by audiences all over the world. Sydney will provide the perfect backdrop for this darkly comic series, and I can’t wait for audiences to enjoy Sunny Nights when it releases on Stan.”