No Johhny Depp as Perth Film Studios gets modest maiden production starring BAFTA winner Sheridan Smith

After unsubstantiated rumours swirled that Johnny Depp would be the first Hollywood star to grace the new Perth Film Studios, the Cook Government’s $290 million Malaga facility is getting a more modest maiden production. Award-winning English actor Sheridan Smith is hardly the household name Depp is, but the star of Cilla and Mrs Biggs will arrive in WA fresh off this week’s BAFTA nomination for her performance in the four-part true crime series, I Fought the Law. Smith is set to star opposite Stephen Peacocke (RFDS) and screen legend Judy Davis (Nitram) in Two Birds, a new mystery thriller co-produced by the UK’s ITV and Stan. The series has Smith playing British plod Izzie Cornwell, recently widowed and looking for a fresh start in the small fictional Aussie town of Dugdale. When Izzie is assigned to investigate a murder, the stakes are raised when the victim is revealed to be part of a notorious local crime family, led by the formidable Davis’ character. British filmmaker James Griffiths, who previously gave us the highly regarded Ballad of Wallis Island, has been tapped to direct and will serve as one of the executive producers. Filming is due to begin soon in Perth and Kalgoorlie, as well as on one of Perth Film Studios four soundstages.