Mystery Road: Origin: behind the scenes

Writer/director Dylan River talks about creating a new beginning for iconic TV detective Jay Swan for the new series Mystery Road: Origin.

After two successful seasons of Mystery Road, it was time to explore the famous TV detective’s beginnings and that meant casting a new Jay Swan. For writer/director Dylan River, he knew it had to be Mark Coles Smith.

“I’m a fan of his work… I think I first really recognised him in Last Cab to Darwin and just loved the youthful energy that he had in that,” explains River.

In this behind-the-scenes video, River discusses the appeal in directing an entire six-episode series, the responsibility he feels in continuing to tell First Nations stories and the perils of filming whilst being swarmed by flies.

Mystery Road: Origin premiered on ABC TV on Sunday 3 July 2022 and is available to stream on ABC iview.