Nicole Kidman announces exciting new Aussie drama during SXSW appearance in Sydney

Nicole Kidman added a touch of Hollywood today at the SXSW conference in Sydney, where she shared some exciting career news.

Nicole Kidman. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

Nicole Kidman added a touch of Hollywood today as a key speaker at the SXSW conference in Sydney.

The Aussie actress was on a panel along with film and television producer Per Saari, who is also the co-founder of her production company, Blossom Films.

Under their Blossom Films banner, the duo have produced some critically acclaimed dramas in recent years, including Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, which they adapted from the best-selling novels of Australian author Liane Moriarty.

And it seems Kidman and Saari will once again adapt another one of Moriarty’s novels, The Last Anniversary, into a series.

Nicole Kidman walks on stage during the Spotlight on Blossom Films feature session at SXSW Sydney on October 19. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

The actress spoke about her production company Blossom Films. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

When Nine anchor and moderator at the event Peter Overton asked for more details, Saari said: “Nobody knows about this one yet. I mean, officially.”

Kidman wondered, “[But] we can talk about Last Anniversary, right? Yeah,” before shedding some light.

“John Polson will direct it, and: Australian accents! [An] Australian project, with Australian accents for the world,” Kidman announced at the conference today.

The drama will be based on the book about a woman named Sophie who inherits a remote house that becomes the centre of a mystery when her ex-boyfriend’s aunt passes away. Sophie moves into the home and soon finds herself swept up in the lives of the mysterious people who live on the island.

Saari revealed that production starts next month in Australia, but the series – which will air on BINGE and Foxtel – “has been a long time in the making”.

Peter Overton played moderator in the discussion with Kidman and producer Per Saari. Picture: Richard Dobson

“BINGE have been amazing. Actually, BINGE have aired a lot of our material in the past and they’ve been amazing,” he added.

Kidman said the series was spearheaded by the late Foxtel boss Brian Walsh, who championed it until his death in March, aged 68.

“I want to do just say Brian Walsh, who greatly loved this is his project. he was watching over it,” she told the audience. “He wanted it. He wanted BINGE and Foxtel to have it, and he fought like crazy to get it. And it’s devastating that he’s not here, but maybe he is.”

“Brian’s been a huge part of my life through my whole career. And to be able to just still continue his legacy is fantastic. So Brian Walsh, we miss you and we love you.”

Kidman revealed the new project she is working on with BINGE and Foxtel. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for SXSW Sydney

The Aussie actress says she excited to bring an Aussie drama onto the world stage. Picture: Richard Dobson

Elsewhere in the discussion, Kidman also spoke of her love and continued working relationship with Moriarty, who has become a “great friend”.

“From when I first went out and sat with her and had a cup of coffee with her, and we started our first, sort of, relationship together, it was just a wonderful,” she recalled.

“She’s the same age, she’s got kids, she’s gone through similar things at different times. It was just one of those things where you go, ‘Wow, I really like this person’. And they happen to be incredibly talented, but primarily, I just really like her.”

“Whether we ever work together again or not, I would still have her in my life. And my most recent trip when I came back, we went and we sat under a tree, got a coffee, and we just lay out. And it was in winter in July, and we were just sort of, and we just talked and we talked for well over two hours, and none of it was work, maybe five minutes. That to me is what a great working relationship is.”