The Northern Territory cattle industry will be the star of a new six-part Netflix series, shining a light on the NT on the global stage.
Filming for Desert King is underway at Tipperary Station, bringing to life an explosive drama about power, family, land and legacy in the largest screen production ever filmed in the Northern Territory.
Minister for Industry, Nicole Manison, said Desert King was the largest screen production ever seen in the Northern Territory, bringing "the best and brightest in the Australian screen industry to our backyard".
"Filming in some of the most iconic locations and landscapes across the Top End, the production will be an amazing economic driver with accommodation booked out and local businesses reaping the benefits."
Filming was secured through Screen Territory's Production Attraction Incentive Program, which contributed $1.3 million.
"The Screen Territory Funding Program continues to assist in strengthening and expanding opportunities for our Territory screen sector, we are attracting big budget productions and providing even more opportunities to grow the industry," Ms Manison said.
Desert King is expected to contribute significantly to the local economy through employment, goods and services during filming.
In the lead up to production, Netflix has provided additional funding towards a First Nations 'Production Ready' training program to upskill ten First Nations screen practitioners for potential crew roles during the filming of the series.
Produced by award winning executive producers Ben Davies (Bondi Rescue), Ian Collie and Rob Gibson (Colin from Accounts), and producer Paul Ranford (Mad Max Fury Road), Desert King was created by Tim Lee and Ben Davies (Mystery Road) and Australian Director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek).
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said the new series would promote visitation to the Territory by showcasing "the natural beauty of our region to 238 million subscribers globally on Netflix".
"The Northern Territory Government understands the importance of growing a vibrant and versatile screen industry, which will provide more jobs, upskilling, training and opportunities for Territorians," she said. "It's been called Yellowstone in an Akubra. This 'neo-western' drama has it all: rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders, and billionaire miners battling for power."
Netflix announced its new series on social media, giving an insight into the storyline, saying the show would be "following the clashing of rival outback factions when the world's largest cattle station is left without a clear successor".