Australian Actress Phoebe Tonkin (Boy Swallows Universe) will star in and executive produce the new Australian TV crime drama series, THE DARK LAKE. Based on the debut novel from award-winning author Sarah Bailey, the series will be produced by the team behind the recent Netflix hit, Boy Swallows Universe, Brouhaha Entertainment.
THE DARK LAKE TV series is based on Australian writer Sarah Bailey’s debut novel of the same name. It is the first book in The Gemma Woodstock Series, which has garnered a devoted fanbase worldwide. It won both the 2018 Davitt Award for Best Crime Debut and the 2018 Ned Kelly award for Best First Crime. Sarah has written two other books in the Gemma Woodstock series, Into the Night set in the dark alleyways of Melbourne city, and Where the Dead Go, based in a small coastal hinterland community. Sarah is currently working on a fourth book in the series.
Following on from the success of Boy Swallows Universe, Brouhaha and Tonkin believe that Sarah Bailey’s THE DARK LAKE has all the right ingredients to create a TV series and a character that audiences will embrace worldwide. Of recently working with Tonkin and casting her in the lead role of THE DARK LAKE, Brouhaha’s Troy Lum says, “We have been waiting for years to find the actress that could play Gemma Woodstock. She is feisty, complex and brilliant and has a loyal fanbase of readers. Phoebe’s performance in Boy Swallows Universe blew us away and we knew we finally had an actress who could do Gemma justice.”
Tonkin is best known for her performances in The Vampire Diaries, Babylon, Safe Harbour and Boy Swallows Universe. Her exceptional portrayal of various complex characters, most notably that of mum and recovering drug-addict Frankie in Boy Swallows Universe, has seen Tonkin garner critical acclaim.
Signing on to play Gemma, Tonkin says, “I’m excited to team up again with Brouhaha‘s Troy Lum and Andrew Mason who brought Boy Swallows Universe to life, to adapt this beloved book series with the help of THE DARK LAKE’S author Sarah Bailey. I had such a wonderful collaborative experience on Boy Swallows Universe, and I’m excited to continue this creative relationship with THE DARK LAKE.”
THE DARK LAKE follows Gemma as she is forced to confront the secrets of her past when assigned to the murder of her high school nemesis in her small and tight-knit hometown.
Through law enforcement, Gemma anchors herself to the dichotomy of right and wrong, in an effort to redeem her own deeply compromised decisions. The series investigates the moral workings of a grief engulfed woman torn between the dedication to her work, the love for her son and the temptation of her indulgences.
