The Rundown: Shane Warne telemovie begins casting with filming in Melbourne

A TV drama based on the life of Shane Warne will begin filming in Melbourne soon with a virtual unknown landing the main role.

A telemovie about the life of Shane Warne will begin filming in Melbourne.

A controversial TV drama based on the extraordinary life of spin king Shane Warne will begin filming in Melbourne later this year.

The show, expected to be more of a telemovie format rather than a full series, has been casting in Sydney in recent months with predominantly newcomers being sounded out to play the cricketing great.

It is understood the actor who has landed the role of Warne is a fresh-face, a virtual unknown.

Casting has also seen a search for actresses to play Warne’s former fiancee Elizabeth Hurley and his ex-wife Simone Callahan.

The casting search for an actor to play Shane Warne has been finalised. Picture: Getty Images

The drama will be seen on Channel 9 next year and is expected to be officially announced at the network’s upfronts on Wednesday.

The mercurial and magnificent Warne passed away in Thailand in March aged just 52.

Nine’s Head of Drama Andy Ryan shed some light on the project in an interview with the TV Tonight website in April, noting the drama would focus on parts of Warne’s life rather than be fully autobiographical.

“Which phase of Shane’s life will we foreground? I think it’s fair to say a cradle to the grave biopic is not our style,” Ryan told the website.

Producers are now looking for someone to play the role of Warne’s ex-wife Simone Callahan. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Liz Hurley is also expected to be a character in the telemovie.

“His life was so intriguing, and a work in progress. It became more intriguing and interesting with every passing year and it’s a tragedy that Shane died so young. But the outpouring of grief adds an extra dimension. He’s definitely flawed, but a genius, a rogue and a rascal.

“At the core, he was a genius cricketer but we don’t want to tell just a story about a genius cricketer. He was also a cultural icon but we don’t just want to tell a story about a cultural icon.”

Logies on the move, but to which state who knows

Channel 7 has poached the Logies from network rival Channel 9.

Seven confirmed on Tuesday it had signed a multi-year agreement with Are Media, the owners of the event, to become the Official Broadcast Partner of the Logie Awards.

The Logies will be held on Sunday, June 18 next year, although where is still unclear.

The Gold Coast in Queensland has been the location for the awards since 2018 and the state wants to retain the event. Queensland is believed to have first and last rights to extend its contract.

The Logies are on the move to Channel 7 and possibly another state. Picture: Getty Images

However, Seven is eager to move the Logies to Sydney and earlier this month it was revealed Destination NSW had made an offer to lure the event away from Queensland.

Nine’s Hamish Blake won the Gold Logie this year.

Seven West Media Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, James Warburton, said of Seven’s Logie coup: “The TV Week Logie Awards are more than television’s night of nights; they are a treasured Australian institution and a celebration of Australia’s love of television.

“It’s early days but we have big, exciting plans for the awards in 2023 and beyond.”

A Challenge to know the contestants

Have You Been Paying Attention is proof that Channel 10/Paramount+ executives have a sense of humour, not because of the show’s consistently strong ratings, but because it gets away with taking digs and pot shots at other offerings on the network pretty much every single week.

On Monday it was Ten’s new reality The Challenge that copped it.

“What are we looking at here?,” quizmaster Tom Gleisner said as a slide of contestants taking part in The Challenge appeared behind him.

“Tell me, is the challenge to try and name one of them?” quipped panellist Sam Pang. Touche!

Studio 10 and its underwhelming ratings is another of the show’s favourite targets.

AFL player returns for Love Island round two

Former AFL player Mitch Hibberd is making his mark in the pash and dash world of reality romance TV.

Hibberd, who won Love Island Australia last year, is rumoured to be returning to the show this year.

He must excel at the TV romance game because it is rare for someone, let alone a past winner, to be recruited for a follow up season of Love Island Australia.

Love Island looks as though it will have a few familiar faces as part of its cast this season.

For Married At First Sight hot mess Al Perkins – he of the ‘shoey’ and ‘worm’ party tricks – is already in Spain filming at the show’s villa.

Pap shots obtained by the Daily Mail earlier this month showed Perkins getting plenty of attention from bikini-clad ‘islanders’.

Back to Hibberd, his reality TV career is showing more promise than his short-lived stint in the AFL.

He played four games for North Melbourne between 2016 and 2018 and played five games for Essendon in 2020.

Mitch Hibberd is having a second crack at Love Island.

Farmer Will is making an impression.

Spinning a farmer into a star

Make no mistake, Channel 7 knows they have a star in the making on their hands with Farmer Wants A Wife’s Farmer Will.

The Berriwillock-based Will Simpson has sent social media into a spin since he started his quest for some country loving on the show on September 4.

The show’s casting team chased Simpson for two years before he committed to be part of the reality series and he has hit all the right notes with the audience.

It is understood Seven is keen to capitalise on the interest in Simpson; could he be featured on Better Homes and Gardens? Will he pop up during Seven’s coverage of the spring races as an on-course guest?

One thing is for certain, he has connected with the viewing audience and Seven won’t want to lose him to another network.