Victoria’s thriving creative sector has received another boost, with filming commencing for international drama series La Brea - the biggest television series to come to the state in more than a decade.

The Universal Television and Matchbox Pictures drama series will see Melbourne double for Los Angeles and follows a family’s survival after they are separated by a massive sinkhole that mysteriously opens in the city.

With the shoot, postproduction and visual effects taking place in Victoria, the project is expected to inject more than $71 million into the Australian economy, with more than $60 million in Victoria alone.

Alongside a cast of US TV actors including Nicholas Gonzalez, Eoin Macken, Natalie Zea and John Seda, Victorian actor Rohan Mirchandaney will make his US TV debut without leaving home.

La Brea is one of four major television productions currently underway in Victoria including the Paramount Television and Apple TV+ series Shantaram shooting at Docklands Studios Melbourne, NBCUniversal and Matchbox Pictures series Fires shooting in Melbourne and regional Victoria for the ABC, and the Netflix series Surviving Summer shooting along the Surf Coast.

Film Victoria CEO Caroline Pitcher said that “Film Victoria is proud to play a role in enabling our state’s screen industry to reap the benefits of local employment, rewarding careers, and inward investment.”

La Brea was secured for Victoria through the Victorian Screen Incentive which was part of the Victorian Government’s $33.8 million boost to the state’s screen industry announced last year.

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La Brea

Pictured: Caroline Pitcher (CEO Film Victoria) and David Appelbaum (Creator and Showrunner)