CBBC & TVNZ Order More Mystic

Libertine Pictures and Slim Film + Television’s family action-adventure series Mystic has been recommissioned for two more seasons by CBBC in the U.K. and New Zealand’s TVNZ.

Mystic was created for television and is written by Amy Shindler and Beth Chalmers and is based on New Zealand author Stacy Gregg’s best-selling Pony Club Secrets book series. Production on the new seasons commenced earlier this month. Joining Shindler and Chalmers for seasons two and three are the New Zealand writers Sam Shore, Martha Hardy-Ward, Hamish Bennett and Briar Grace-Smith.

Macey Chipping (Holby City, Vampire Academy) returns in the lead role of Issie Brown and is joined again by Antonia Robinson, Max Crean, Jacqueline Joe (Top of the Lake), Josh Tan (Mulan, Tales of Nai Nai) and Harriet Walton.

In the new seasons, Issie and her gang of horse-enthusiast friends will have to tackle the usual trials and tribulations of being a teenager as well as battling against new and unexpected threats to their beloved stables and local environment. In season two, they’ll face the arrival of a charismatic stranger and an intriguing mystery after a valuable racehorse is poisoned. Issie will also start to get confusing visions of the future from ghost horse Mystic, and her rescue of the wild herd in season one has attracted destructive tourists to Kauri Point.

Richard Fletcher, managing director of Libertine Pictures, said: “We are thrilled that CBBC and TVNZ are supporting two additional seasons of the show. It is exciting to be able to bring fans of Mystic more adventure, humor and horses with our Kauri Point characters. We’re delighted that Mystic has developed its own following off the back of Stacy Gregg’s hugely successful Pony Club Secrets books. With pre-production already well underway in New Zealand we’re looking forward to showcasing New Zealand and British talent and our beautiful country to an even wider international audience with two more compelling series.”

Simon Crawford-Collins, managing director of Slim Film + Television and executive producer, said: “It’s cracking news to get a double recommission of Mystic. It’s also a fantastic testament to what was achieved on series one, by our exceptional writing team led by Amy and Beth, our brilliant cast led by our rising star Macey Chipping and the tireless production team spearheaded by our colleagues at Libertine—all achieved through the most challenging of times.”

Amy Buscombe, commissioning editor for BBC, said: “We loved getting to know Issie and her friends in the first series of Mystic—it’s brilliant to have a series so engaged with the outdoors and the environment, and we can’t wait to bring those stunning New Zealand locations back to our audience.”