TV series 'Wanted' descends on city

An Australian television production has moved from Central Otago to Dunedin.

Australian television drama series Wanted and its Levin-born co-creator and co-star Rebecca Gibney, who starred in Packed to the Rafters and Winter, were filming in Dunedin and at Dunedin Airport yesterday.

Series one of Wanted followed the story of two strangers, played by Gibney and Geraldine Hakewill, who intervene in a carjacking and end up in being chased by authorities across Australia in a vehicle filled with cash.

A source told the Otago Daily Times an episode of series two would be set in Dunedin and was being directed by Dunedin's Robert Sarkies.

Filming would also take place on the Taieri Gorge train and at Careys Bay.

The project's New Zealand spokeswoman, Tamar Munch, said because the production would not screen in Australia for some time, the broadcaster and production company were keeping details of series two under wraps.

Some of the scenes required about 20 extras.

 

The film crews were New Zealanders, and anywhere between 30 and 80 people were used at a time depending on what was being filmed.

The crew had been in Queenstown and Central Otago, where they filmed at Alexandra's Criterion Hotel, among other places, and would be in Dunedin ''for a few days''.

In Alexandra 20 to 50 extras were required for the scene.