Foxtel has announced Wentworth Season 8 will premiere in June coinciding with the major fan event – Wentworth Con – coming to Australia. Foxtel has also released the first images from the new series as well as a teaser clip to announce the 8th season.
Wentworth Con is the official fan convention dedicated to the Australian drama. The event will allow Australian fans to meet and interact with the stars of Wentworth with panels, audience Q&A, photo ops, autograph signing sessions, and more in Melbourne on June 13-14.
The season 8 cast includes Leah Purcell (Rita Connors), Pamela Rabe (Joan ‘The Freak’ Ferguson), Kate Atkinson (Vera Bennett), Katrina Milosevic (Sue ‘Boomer’ Jenkins), Robbie Magasiva (Will Jackson), Kate Jenkinson (Allie Novak), Bernard Curry (Jake Stewart), Rarriwuy Hick (Ruby Mitchell), Susie Porter (Marie Winter).
It was reported last October that season 8 will feature heritage characters from the original series Prisoner. These new characters include Kate Box (Upright, Les Norton, Rake) as former top dog of Wentworth, Lou Kelly with a reputation for impulsive brutality; Zoe Terakes (Janet King, The End) as Rebel ‘Reb’ Keane a man trapped inside a woman’s skin and Jane Hall (Neighbours, House Husbands) as the new General Manager, Ann Reynolds who charms her colleagues but treats her prisoners with hard line prejudice.
Wentworth is a Fremantle production for Foxtel with Fremantle Director of Scripted, Jo Porter and Foxtel’s Senior Drama Consultant, Penny Win as executive producers. Pino Amenta is series producer for season eight. The directors are Kevin Carlin, Beck Cole, Fiona Banks, Corrie Chen, Roger Hodgman and Mat King. The writers are John Ridley, Kim Wilson, Pete McTighe, Max Conroy and Marcia Gardner, who is both script producer and writer. Season 8 is supported by funding from Film Victoria.