Netflix has lifted the curtain on its 2026 slate for Australia and New Zealand, revealing a mix of local originals and global productions featuring Australasian talent, crews, and locations.
The slate spans scripted series, feature films, unscripted entertainment and animation, underscoring the streamer’s dual strategy: investing in homegrown stories while positioning ANZ as key production hubs for international titles.
Amanda Duthie. Image: Netflix
Leading the next chapter is Amanda Duthie, the newly appointed Netflix Content Director for ANZ, who will oversee the local content slate from 2026 onwards.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen that local stories resonate most powerfully when they’re deeply specific, true to a character, a community or a moment in time. This 2026 slate brings together stories that differ widely in tone, scale and ambition, from every corner of the region. The stories are confident and curious, revisiting classics with fresh creativity, placing distinctive characters at the forefront while remaining authentic to ANZ, and where we see ourselves in the world.
“Our region plays a unique dual role as both the home of powerful local stories and a production base for ambitious global projects, and those two realities strengthen each other.”
Duthie emphasised the broader ecosystem impact of these projects.
“These stories are all made possible by world-class Australian creativity, and the skills developed on productions like these directly benefit the local industry. The slate offers a snapshot of where Australian storytelling stands today and a glimpse of where it can go next,” she said.
Netflix says it has invested more than AU$10 million (since 2021) into the ANZ screen industries through paid placements, training and development initiatives, particularly targeting emerging and underrepresented practitioners.
Netflix covers Aussie stories with Aussie voices at the centre
The 2026 line-up opens with the third and final season of Heartbreak High, premiering March 25. Set and filmed in Sydney, the series returns to Hartley High for one last chapter as the graduating class faces adulthood.
Heartbreak High Image: Netflix
Netflix also offered a first look at My Brilliant Career, a series adaptation of Miles Franklin’s classic novel, filmed in South Australia.
Starring Phillipa Northeast as Sybylla, the series follows a fiercely independent young woman determined to become a writer, torn between creative ambition and romantic love.
Feature film Allen, created by Ludo Studio, brings a Queensland coastal setting to life in a story of friendship and reconnection.
The studio, best known for Bluey and Thou Shall Not Steal, shifts into live-action territory with a heartwarming tale centred on Petey (T.J. Power) and his long-lost best friend.
Breakers marks the first Netflix series to shoot on Western Australia’s coastline.
Led by Antony Starr alongside Oliver Edis, Annabel Wolfe and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, the drama follows two backpackers drawn into a tight-knit surf community.
Produced by the team behind Baby Reindeer, the series explores themes of power, loyalty and belonging.
Netflix is featuring global productions with local crews
Alongside local originals, the slate highlights Australia and New Zealand’s role in hosting large-scale global productions.
War Machine, directed by Victorian filmmaker Patrick Hughes, returns the action genre to his home state, starring Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid and Jai Courtney in a high-intensity story set during the final 24 hours of an elite military selection programme.
Apex, filmed in the Australian wilderness, stars Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton in a survival thriller directed by Baltasar Kormákur.
Speaking to Tudum, Kormákur said: “For a film like Apex — where the elements and the terrain are characters that loom just as large as the movie stars battling in it — no other country in the world could have taken the place of Australia as our primary location.”
“The unrivalled landscape, studio facilities, and talented crews in New South Wales have been a boon to this production. I want to thank the people of NSW, the NSW government, and the Australian Government’s Location Offset for all the support we’ve received in making this journey possible,” Kormákur said
The Mosquito Bowl, a World War II drama directed by Peter Berg and starring Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård, was filmed on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
In New Zealand, East of Eden reimagines John Steinbeck’s novel for a contemporary audience, while the Gold Coast also plays host to Wonka: The Golden Ticket, an unscripted social experiment produced by Eureka Productions.
Chris Culvenor. Image: Netflix
Chris Culvenor, Eureka Co-CEO and creator of Wonka: The Golden Ticket, said: “Partnering with Netflix on The Golden Ticket has been a dream project. Bringing this world of imagination to life on the Gold Coast couldn’t be more fitting – the region’s incredible talent, creativity, and energy make it the perfect home for such an extraordinary production.”
Animation remains a strong pillar, with Sydney-based Flying Bark Productions creating Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, and Netflix Animation Studios producing Steps in Sydney, with production shared between Sydney and Vancouver.
Top Image: Netflix