Major TV production scheduled for Queenstown

Variety magazine has published details of a major new TV show to be filmed in Queenstown.

“New Zealand-set detective Series “A Remarkable Place to Die” is being launched by Banijay Rights at the London Screenings.

The 4 x 90’ murder mystery was created by Screentime New Zealand and is co-produced with Real Film Berlin (Berlin, Berlin,” Netflix’s “Unorthodox”) in association with Banijay Rights.

Smart and savvy detective Anais Mallory (portrayed by Chelsie Preston-Crayford) returns to her hometown, Queenstown, in South Island, New Zealand and is met with a series of startlingly different homicides. She has to crack the cases while also picking her way through a backdrop of past ghosts.

Among the names from her past are Mallory’s ex-fiancé Luke (Charles Jazz Terrier), now married to her former-best friend (Indiana Evans), her brittle, volatile but loving mother (Rebecca Gibney), and a handsome pathologist. These co-mingle with an eclectic and ever-changing population of tourists and locals that makes challenging investigations even more of a test.

However, the secrets surrounding her father and sister’s deaths are the ones that that truly draw Mallory back. That sets off a desperate cover-up and a threat to the only family she has left.

“A Remarkable Place to Die” was created by Philly de Lacey with writer John Banas. Directors are Peter Burger, Josh Frizzell, Caroline Bell-Booth, and Charlie Haskell. Philly de Lacey, Henning Kamm, and Sibylle Stellbrink serve as executive producers.

The show is set to air across Germany, the U.S., and New Zealand with commissioning broadcasters, ZDF, Acorn TV, and TVNZ, respectively.

“Queenstown’s stunning landscape paired with its tapestry of unconventional characters, provide the perfect backdrop for this gripping murder mystery. Viewers will be drawn into the world of Detective Anais Mallory as she uncovers intriguing secrets,” said Philly de Lacey, CEO of Screentime New Zealand.

Other recent international series from Screentime New Zealand include “The Gulf,” a co-production between Screentime New Zealand, Lippy Pictures and Letterbox Filmproduktion for TV3 and ZDF, and “Straight Forward,” a co-production between Screentime New Zealand, Yellow Bird Mastiff, and TVNZ and Viaplay."