EPIC SHARK THRILLER BEAST OF WAR STARTS SHOOTING

Screen NSW, Screen Queensland, Bronte Pictures and Pictures in Paradise have announced that principal photography has officially commenced in Australia on Beast Of War, the eagerly awaited shark thriller helmed by acclaimed genre director Kiah Roache-Turner (Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead, Nekoronic, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Sting).

Pictured, above: On the set of Beast of War at Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane.

Filming takes place between the lush sub-tropical region of New South Wales’ Northern Rivers and Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane. The film is a collaboration between Bronte Pictures (known for The Fabulous Four, Streamline, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Take My Hand) and Chris Brown of Pictures in Paradise (Sting, Daybreakers, The Railway Man).

An ensemble of award-winning and emerging Australian actors make up the cast, including Mark Coles Smith (Last Cab To Darwin, Mystery Road: Origin); newcomer Joel Nankervis; Sam Delich (Last Days Of The Space Age, Spiderhead); Lee Tiger Halley (Boy Swallows Universe, Crazy Fun Park); Tristan McKinnon (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Moon Rock For Monday); and, Steve Le Marquand (Population: 11, Christmess). The cast will endure a brutal physical shoot portraying a band of soldiers stranded in the open ocean, hunted by the ultimate apex predator.

Penned by Roache-Turner, the screenplay is set in 1942 during World War II. A warship carrying hundreds of Australian soldiers across the Timor Sea is suddenly targeted by Japanese bombers, transforming the ocean into a hellscape of steel, fire, oil, and blood. With their vessel destroyed, a handful of soldiers construct a makeshift raft from floating debris, clinging to their lives amidst rising tensions. However, their greatest battle is yet to come as a great white shark, drawn to the scent of blood, hunts them in the wreckage below.

Beast of War is building Australia’s largest indoor water tank at the Screen Queensland Studios, Brisbane, while also working with Brisbane based Model Farm whose team will use volume screens to bring open ocean to life.

Pictured, above: On location in northern New South Wales - L to R: 1st AD, Jamie Crooks; gaffer, Storm Ashwood; Director of Photography, Mark Wareham (centre); B-camera/underwater camera Mark Broadbent, director, Kiah Roache-Turner; buyer/dresser, Michael O'Connor.

 The creature effects are being crafted by multi-award winning studio Formation Effect's director Steven Boyle, whose credits include The Matrix Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy. Director of Photography for the project is Mark Wareham ACS (Boy Swallows Universe, The Legend of Molly Johnson, La Brea), with production designer Esther Rosenberg (Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, Fear Below, Take My Hand) and AFI-nominated costume designer Tracey Rose Sparke (Beneath Hill 60; The 25th Reich) also on board.

Roache-Turner is celebrated as one of Australia’s premier genre directors. His debut film Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, while his follow-up feature Nekrotonic, starring Monica Bellucci, premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. His subsequent film, Wyrmwood: Apocalypse, won the Audience Award at the 2021 Sydney Film Festival. His current feature, the arachnophobia horror Sting, is rolling out across international territories under the guidance of Studiocanal.

Beast Of War has generated significant international buzz, with sales and distribution company Cornerstone securing distribution deals in key markets, including Signature Entertainment in the UK and Well Go in North America. Other territories include Dea Planeta (Spain), Just Entertainment (Benelux), NOS (Portugal), Galaxy Pictures (Australia & New Zealand), GPI (Baltics), Capella (CIS), TVN (Poland), Karpat Media (Romania & Hungary), Italia Film (Middle East), Tanweer (Turkey), and Filmfinity (South Africa).