Wooden Horse, the acclaimed Australian independent production company behind Disney+’s “The Clearing” and CBC/ABC’s “Stuff the British Stole,” is unveiling its next project, “The Chaplain,” at this year’s Series Mania.
The project promises a captivating blend of drama and comedy, set against the bustling backdrop of an international airport. Its synopsis reads: “Airport Chaplain Tobias Wallace has a constantly ringing mobile, a drawer full of cash and a decidedly unorthodox approach to solving the daily crises of an airport. When new management threatens to terminate his contract, Tobias devises increasingly ingenious ways to keep his beloved chaplaincy – after all, it’s the only thing keeping his deeply submerged demons at bay.”
The series is the brainchild of showrunner Elise McCredie and Wooden Horse joint-CEO and series executive producer Jude Troy, who share co-creator credits for the project. McCredie, known for her work on “Stateless,” and Troy, a seasoned producer who has worked for Hopscotch and eOne, bring a wealth of experience and creativity to the project. The writing team is led by McCredie and additional writers are planned to join the project later this year.
Troy, McCredie and Richard Finlayson, executive producer on the series and joint-CEO of Wooden Horse, will represent the show at Series Mania.
“’The Chaplain’ was inspired by an unforgettable encounter I had with an International Airport Chaplain,” Troy tells Variety of the show’s origins. “Those few hours and the stories he shared were eye-opening. So much drama and comedy are hidden in the multi-cultural melting pot that is an international airport, and this, combined with our unique protagonist and the pace, energy, and abundance of story, makes ‘The Chaplain’ an undeniable series for our times.”
Wooden Horse was founded in 2019 by industry veterans Troy and Finlayson and has since developed a reputation for distinctive, provocative and bold storytelling. The company has already secured a development grant for “The Chaplain” from Vic Screen and is seeking international distribution partners at Series Mania.
