Directed by Jeffrey Walker and starring Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill, Patrick Gibson, Miranda Otto, Chris Pang, Jessica DeGouw, Rachel House, Arka Das, Damon Herriman and Sophie Wilde, the Stan Original Film The Portable Door is a magical fantasy adventure and is currently in production in Queensland.
Stan, Australia’s unrivalled home of original productions, today announced a brand new Stan Original Film, The Portable Door, a magical fantasy adventure which is currently in production in Queensland.
The film will see two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, No Time to Die) and multi-Golden Globe nominee Sam Neill (Peter Rabbit, Jurassic Park franchise) star alongside Patrick Gibson (The OA, Tolkien) and an all-star Australian cast, including Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Chris Pang (Crazy Rich Asians), Jessica DeGouw (Gretel & Hansel, Pennyworth), New Zealand’s Rachel House (Soul, Thor: Ragnarok), Arka Das (Mulan, Lion), Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Stan Original Series The Commons) and Sophie Wilde (Stan Original Series Eden, You Don’t Know Me).
Adapted from Tom Holt’s eponymous seven-book fantasy series, award-winning Australian director Jeffrey Walker (Ali’s Wedding, Stan Original Series The Commons) is directing the film from a screenplay adapted by Australian writer Leon Ford (Griff the Invisible).
A Jim Henson Company and Story Bridge Films production, The Portable Door is produced by Blanca Lista from The Jim Henson Company (Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), and Todd Fellman from Story Bridge Films (Daybreakers, Bait 3D). The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Chris Lytton are executive producing as well as Arclight Films’ Gary Hamilton, Brian Beckmann, and Ying Ye, alongside Julia Stuart and Laura Grange from Sky, and Stan’s Cailah Scobie and Shana Levine. Madman Entertainment will handle theatrical distribution, ahead of the film’s premiere on Stan.
In The Portable Door, Paul Carpenter (Patrick Gibson) and Sophie Pettingel (Sophie Wilde) are the lowly, put-upon interns who begin working at the mysterious London firm J.W. Wells & Co. and become steadily aware that their employers are anything but conventional. Charismatic villains Humphrey Wells (Christoph Waltz), the CEO of the company, and middle manager Dennis Tanner (Sam Neill) are disrupting the world of magic by bringing modern corporate strategy to ancient magical practices, and Paul and Sophie discover the true agenda of the vast corporation where they work.
Stan Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said: “Stan continues its strong investment and focus on premium local programs and feature films like The Portable Door as part of our strategy to create more Australian produced content. Helmed by one of Australia’s most accomplished directors in Jeffrey Walker and featuring award winning actors Christoph Waltz, Sam Neill and Patrick Gibson, alongside a stellar Australian cast, we look forward to seeing this magical film cast a spell on Stan subscribers.”
Madman Entertainment CEO and Founder Paul Wiegard said: “The film promises a joyful cinematic experience; a big screen visual feast of imagination, fantasy and humour. Audiences will recapture, uninterrupted, that feeling from their youth of watching a truly creative work.”
Executive producer Lisa Henson said: “Director Jeffrey Walker is leading an amazing cast and creative team to bring to life the high-fantasy setting and unique humour of The Portable Door. An unexpected adventure filled with deeply funny moments; The Portable Door is poised to be the next Henson fan favourite.”
Producer Todd Fellman said: “It has been exciting to watch the diverse comedic talents of our incredible cast take this gem of a script by Leon Ford to a whole new level. We are truly creating a very special film that will be lots of fun for audiences of all ages.”
Financing and distribution partners include Sky Studios, Stan, Madman Entertainment, MEP Capital, Fulcrum Media Finance and Arclight Films International. Development and production support provided by Screen Queensland.
The Stan Original Film The Portable Door is currently in production, with further announcements to come.
