Filming is underway on Jack Irish Series 2 in Melbourne. Emmy Award-winner Guy Pearce reprises his iconic role as Jack Irish, former criminal lawyer, and part-time debt collector, with a penchant for getting wrapped up in things he shouldn’t.
Returning to Jack’s world are Marta Dusseldorp as journalist Linda Hillier, Roy Billing as horse racing identity Harry Strang, Aaron Pedersen as Harry’s trusted off-sider Cam Delray, Shane Jacobson as old-school detective Barry Tregear, Kate Atkinson as IT-guru Simone, Damien Richardson as Jack’s former legal partner Drew, Damien Garvey as Stan, the Prince of Prussia publican, and the inimitable Fitzroy Youth Club, Terry Norris and John Flaus.
The series has an all-star line-up of guests including Danielle Cormack (Rake, Wentworth), Tiarnie Coupland (Sunshine, Love Child), Jacek Koman (Jack Irish series 1, Seven Types of Ambiguity), Leah Vandenberg (The Letdown, Sunshine) and Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering).
The bluebird of happiness has stopped warbling and Jack’s life has hit a new low. His body broken from too many beatings, Linda has left him, the racing world is in turmoil, his local, the Prince of Prussia may never be the same again and Jack has returned to the law in the form of mundane conveyancing.
That is, until he learns of foreign students at a disreputable private college dying in bizarre circumstances. His investigation leads him down a rabbit hole – and Linda to India – to unveil a corrupt and complicit government in bed with a homegrown global enterprise engaged in the literal pursuit of happiness and its very lucrative benefits.
The six-part series is by once again written by 2017 Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Andrew Knight (Ali’s Wedding, Hacksaw Ridge, Rake), Matt Cameron (Sunshine, Secret City, Molly) and Andrew Anastasios (The Water Diviner, Wentworth) with Elise McCredie (Sunshine, Nowhere Boys) joining the team.
Series directors are Mark Joffe (Jack Irish series 1, The House of Hancock), Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, The Principal) and Fiona Banks (Wentworth, Mustangs).
Award-winning producers Ian Collie, Andrew Knight and Matt Cameron said, “In a fast-moving world of progress-at-any-cost, Jack Irish once again proves there is still a place for a time-warped Luddite with a keen sense of justice who prefers not to leave his postcode. This is crime thriller meets drongo-noir and we couldn’t be happier to be getting the band back together.”
ABC’s Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley said, “We’re delighted to welcome Jack Irish and his eccentric entourage back to our screens. The stellar creative team has set the scene for another thrilling ride as Jack’s dogged (and dishevelled) determination to uncover the truth cracks open a world of intrigue, danger and suspense. We can’t wait to share the new season with our audiences.”
Inspired by the Jack Irish novels by Peter Temple, Jack Irish is an Easy Tiger Production for ABC in association with Film Victoria.
The series will air on ABC and ABC iview in 2018.