'How To Make Gravy’ Feature Film Cast Announced As Production Begins

How many times have you listened to Paul Kelly’s classic tune, How To Make Gravy, and pictured the song’s characters in some kind of film?

Dreams are coming true for those fans, as today, Aussie streaming platform BINGE announces its first original feature film, named after and based on the Paul Kelly song. Production is currently underway.

The announcement of How To Make Gravy becoming a film was shared in May 2022. The track was originally released and written by Paul Kelly in 1996 and tells the now-iconic story of Joe, a prisoner, who writes a letter to his brother about missing his family at Christmas.

The treasured Australian song and narrative will be transformed into a feature film 27 years later, to the delight of Kelly.

He stated last year, “Dan and Joe and Rita and Angus and Dolly and all the others have been stuck inside that song so long, I’m glad they’re going to get a chance to live life a different way!”

Featuring an all-star cast, How To Make Gravy is led by Snowtown AACTA Award winner Daniel Henshall, who’s in the series alongside legendary actor Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, The Adventures Of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert), Kate Mulvany (The Twelve, Lambs Of God), Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales actor Brenton Thwaites, and French actress Agathe Rouselle making her English-speaking film debut.

Staying true to its music roots, A.B. Original’s Adam Briggs and rising talent Dallas Woods will also make cameo appearances. Musician Meg Washington is on board, too – she co-adapted the film for screen alongside director Nick Waterman. The pair will also produce How To Make Gravy with Hamish Lewis and Academy Award-nominated producer Schuyler Weiss (Elvis).

Washington and Waterman said in a statement, “It’s a dream to be working with such an incredible cast and crew on our debut feature film. It’s testament to Paul’s songwriting that the world and characters within the song are so vivid, and we are proud to have the honour of bringing it to life. It’s a uniquely Australian story made for film lovers and music fans alike. We can’t wait to share our adaptation of How To Make Gravy with the world.”

Weiss added, “From song to script to screen, it has been thrilling to see Paul Kelly’s poetry come to vivid life in the hands of Nick, Meg and our wonderful cast and crew. I can’t wait for audiences to experience this highly imaginative take on an iconic Australian tale.”

Alison Hurbert-Burns, Executive Director of BINGE and Commissioning & Content Foxtel Group, added, “It’s a great privilege to bring Paul Kelly’s iconic song to the screen. I’ve listened to the song for decades, often on my own Christmas road trip, conjuring up the characters, wondering if Stella made her flight and if the brothers made it down from Queensland. Come 2024, at last, we’ll know!”

“And with an all-star cast and such talented creatives in Nick and Meg and our production partners at Warner Bros, we can’t wait to share it with Australia in what we hope will become a beloved addition to Gravy Day for many years to come.”