The New 'Mystery Road' Series Is Coming & It's Led By An ARIA Nominated Director

ABC's much-loved Mystery Road series is returning for a new season and it's set to be led by an ARIA Award nominated director. 

The series, titled Mystery Road: Origin, focuses on the early years of the show's central character Detective Jay Swan (previously played by Aaron Pedersen) with Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith to play a younger version on the character. 

"It’s 1999, and Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer arrives at his new station," reads the series description. 

"Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.

"Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan."

The series will be directed by Kaytetye man Dylan River, who has previously worked on the 2020 season of the show as a cam operator and a second unit director. River's other significant credits include writing and directing the Robbie Hood series, as well as his short films Black Chook, Nulla Nulla, Buckskin and more. 

In 2019, River was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Video for Briggs' Life Is Incredible video. Last year, River directed the video for Andy Golledge's Every Time I See Your Picture On My Telephone. 

"Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective Jay Swan," said Greer Simpkin, producer, Bunya Productions of the forthcoming series.

"Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover what made him the man and the outback detective we know and love. Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road franchise has come full circle."

“Mystery Road is an incredibly powerful drama that continues to resonate with Australian and international audiences alike, and we are thrilled it’s returning to break new ground, exploring the early defining chapters of Jay Swan’s story," added Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason of the new series. 

"With award-winning Bunya Productions once again at the helm and Dylan River in the director’s chair, following in the footsteps of Warwick Thornton, Wayne Blair and Rachel Perkins from the previous two seasons, Mystery Road continues to be a masterclass of filmmaking, showcasing remarkable parts of Australia not often seen on screen."

“Screen NSW is proud to invest in the ABC’s third series of the award-winning Outback Noir thriller Mystery Road, produced by Sydney’s Bunya Productions," said head of Screen NSW, Grainne Brunsdon. 

"We are particularly delighted to support this rich First Nations’ story created and told by First Nations storytellers We are extremely excited to see the new road the team is taking with a younger Jay Swan and I am confident the third series will attract wide audiences at home and overseas."

Mystery Road: Origin will air on ABC TV and iview in 2022.