Just because Halloween has passed us by, it doesn’t mean all of the spooky series need to be put to bed. If you’re still looking for that perfect post-Halloween binge, then look no further than ITV’s Firebite, an eight-part Australian drama that the network has just added to its streaming service. The series originally aired in 2021 with its synopsis teasing: “Set in a remote mining town in the middle of the South Australian desert, the series centres around two Indigenous Australian hunters, Tyson and adoptive daughter Shanika, who protect their home, Opal City, from vampires. Their lives are turned upside down when a former hunter from Tyson’s past shows up informing them the last vampire king has arrived with plans that will shift the balance in their war against the vampires.“
Fans hailed the show for its drama as well as the way that it approached its social commentary, with one commenting on X: “Anyway if you seek indigenous explorations of vampire media, look no further than FIREBITE, a sadly short-lived but excellent series about Aboriginal vampire hunters in the Australian desert.” A second added: “Check out Firebite for Indigenous vampire hunters in a mining town in the Australian desert. The British brought vampires same as they brought smallpox.”
A third penned: “This TV series is an example of masterful and engaging storytelling, which tells the story of the ongoing colonisation of so-called ‘Australia’ as a vampire hunter story, starring two brilliant Indigenous actors (Rob Collins and Shantae Barnes-Cowan). Good on you, Warwick Thornton and team for continuing the 80,000+ years of genius storytelling that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mobs have been doing, through a gore-comedy-horror TV series!”
Meanwhile, a fourth posted: “Warwick Thornton has outdone himself with this very Australian & amazing take on the Vampire genre. From excellent casting to amazing cinematography this show is a winner from start to finish, it’s the type of Australian big production that has been missing from the Aussie industry.“
Who stars in Firebite?
The series is led by Ten Pound Poms star Rob Collins, who plays vampire hunter Tyson Walker. The character often uses the guise of kangaroo hunting to disguise his true work. Rob has also been seen in Glitch, Total Control and Netflix film Extraction. Joining him in the series is Shantae Barnes-Cowan as his adoptive daughter, Shanika. The actress gas appeared in Australian films like Sweet As and series like Total Control and Operation Buffalo.
Also joining the cast is Marvel actor Callan Mulvey, who plays the Vampire King. Callan is best-known to audiences for his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jack Rollins in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Anatoli Knyazev in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yael Stone plays vampire barmaid Eleona, who is an ally to Tyson due to her own hatred of the Vampire King. The Australian actress previously played Lorna Morello in Orange Is the New Black and also has credits in Blacklight, High Maintenance and Spirited.
Rounding out the cast are Jai Koutrae (Home and Away) as Spud, a barman and close friend to Tyson; Kelton Pell (The Heights) as Jalingbirri, a mentor to Tyson; Ngaire Pigram (Mystery Road) as Kitty Sinclar, Tyson’s ex-girlfriend and Greg Tait (Satellite Boy) as Smokey, a man who lost his entire family to vampires.
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