Magnificent South African locations like Stellenbosch and Lourensford Wine Estate can be seen in HBO’s epic sci-fi series Raised by Wolves – the biggest budget film ever to be shot in South Africa.
The story follows two androids tasked with raising human children on a virgin planet after Earth has been destroyed in a religious war.
Raised by Wolves has already been nominated for three 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards: Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Best Actor: Sci-Fi for Travis Fimmel (Vikings’ Ragnar) and Best Actress: Sci-Fi for Danish actress Amanda Collin, whose character, Mother, was hailed by The Wall Street Journal as “the most memorable female/female-like space entity since Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Alien.”
Four-time Oscar and Golden Globe nominee Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, The Martian, Prometheus and Gladiator) executive produces and directs the first two episodes of the series. As Inverse put it, Raised By Wolves is “phenomenal... Ridley Scott's best sci-fi since Alien… there’s no TV show quite like it.”
The cast includes Abubakar Salim (Jamestown, Fortitude), Niamh Algar (Pure, MotherFatherSon), and Matias Varela (Narcos, The Borgias, Assassin’s Creed), who co-star alongside a host of South Africans, including Clayton Evertson (Arendsvlei), Susan Danford (Still Breathing), Litha Bam (Intersexions), Garth Breytenbach (8, Troy: Fall of a City), Tristan de Beer (The Girl from St Agnes, Rage), Tanya van Graan (Die Spook van Uniondale, Zulu), Tarryn Wyngaard (DAM, The Watch, Dwaalster), Jenna Upton (Cape Town) and Anlia van Rensburg (Getroud Met Rugby), as well as Loulou Taylor and Daniel Lasker in breakthrough roles.
Film Afrika line producer Cheryl Eatock confirms Raised By Wolves is the biggest budget show ever to film in South Africa. For context, she says, Season 1 created nearly 700 full-time equivalent jobs, 52% of which went to youth and 66% of which went to historically disadvantaged individuals. The series also hired 1200 businesses, predominantly small, medium and micro-enterprises. 25 historically disadvantaged individuals received hands-on training, facilitated by the non-profit The SA Film Academy (SAFA), an accredited training provider established and managed by the SA production service companies to ensure growth in the industry. And 18 SAFA alumni worked as full crew members of Raised By Wolves.
Eatock confirms Collin is already back in the country prepping for Season 2: great news for the South African economy, our international service sector that has been brutalised by the pandemic, and all sci-fi fans.
Take a look at the trailer right here.
Source : Kevin Kriedemann
