Creators, actors and more attend Netflix ANZ’s 2026 plan presentation | Image courtesy of
Netflix has announced its 2026 production plan for Australia and New Zealand, bringing together homegrown series, feature films, animation and major global projects shot in Australia. The ‘Next On Netflix’ event in Sydney’s Alexandria kicked off next year with an exhibition of different projects and genres.
Amanda Duthie has been introduced as Netflix’s new ANZ content director, overseeing the local slate from 2026 onwards. Presentations quickly moved from teen dramas and literary adaptations to survival thrillers, war stories, animation, and unscripted formats, paralleling local storytelling and international scale.
The death knell of ‘Heartbreak High’ and a return to Australian classics
Heartbreak High fans will have to prepare for a farewell. Netflix has announced that the third and final season of the Sydney-shot high school drama will premiere on March 25, following Hartley High School graduates as they leave school and take the first step into adulthood. The final run is said to be the final chaotic development for the characters.
Netflix has premiered its new series My Brilliant Career, an adaptation of Miles Franklin’s classic 1901 novel. Filmed in South Australia, the story centers on Sybilla (Philippa Northeast), a young woman who decides to become a writer, weighing her independence against societal expectations.
Allen was also introduced. From Bluey’s production team, Ludo Studio, the film is set in a coastal town in Queensland and follows Petey (TJ Power) as he reunites with his best friend after 20 years.
Antony Starr’s Breakers is the first Netflix series to be filmed on the coast of Western Australia. The story follows two backpacking friends who are drawn into a close-knit surfing community centered around power, loyalty, and belonging. The cast includes Oliver Edith, Annabelle Wolfe, and DiPharao Unatai, as well as Heartbreak High School alums Asher Jasvinsek, Sherry-Lee Watson, and Brody Townsend.
(L-R) ANZ’s Netflix Content Director Amanda Duthie speaks with Heartbreak High executive producer Carly Heaton and cast members Bryn Chapman-Parrish, Chloe Hayden and James Majose. Image provided
Build global products locally
War Machine brings Victorian filmmaker Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard, The Expendables 3) back to his home state. The story stars Reacher star Alan Ritchson as a soldier battling an ethereal killing machine. Dennis Quaid and Jai Courtney round out the cast, with potential blockbuster-style action actors.
Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton square off in Apex, a weasel-and-mouse thriller filmed in the Australian wilderness. In the film, Theron plays a grieving woman caught in a deadly game with a predator (Egerton).
Also announced was “Mosquito Bowl,” based on the true story of four college football players who joined the Marines after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Directed by Peter Berg and helmed by Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård, the World War II drama was filmed on the Gold Coast.
In New Zealand, East of Eden is taking shape as a limited series. This adaptation reimagines John Steinbeck’s novel through a modern lens, focusing on its moral complexities and character dynamics. The cast includes Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Feist.
Amanda Duthie, Netflix Content Director at ANZ | Image courtesy of
Unscripted animation and the big picture
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, produced by Sydney-based Flying Bark Productions, continues the universe in animated form. The animated series dates back to 1985, is set between seasons two and three, and follows the original characters as they face the dangers that threaten their town.
Steps is an animated film from Netflix Animation Studios produced in Sydney (with Vancouver sharing animation production) that revisits the Cinderella fairy tale from the perspective of the stepsisters. Ali Wong voices Lilith and Stephanie Hsu voices Margot.
On the unscripted side, Wonka: The Golden Ticket, filmed on the Gold Coast by Eureka Productions, places contestants in a retro-futuristic dream world where they face games, tests and temptations designed to test their instincts and resilience.
Dassey clearly emphasizes specificity, stating: “Throughout my career, I’ve found that local stories resonate most powerfully when they’re deeply specific and true to a character, a community or a moment in time.” She said the 2026 plan brought together stories that were “very different in tone, scale and ambition”, and said the projects were “confident and curious, yet authentic to ANZ and show how we see ourselves in the world”.
Netflix also highlighted its investments in a wide range of industries, noting that since 2021 it has invested more than A$10 million in paid placement, training and development initiatives across Australia and New Zealand, particularly for emerging and underrepresented practitioners.
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