‘His life was so intriguing’: Nine gives the green light on Shane Warne biopic

Channel Nine has teamed up with Australian streaming service Stan to bring out a miniseries on Shane Warne that’s more than just a “box-ticking biographical” TV show.

The network’s Head of Drama Andy Ryan told TV Tonight the biopic wouldn’t be a generic series that covered the cricket legends entire life.

“His life was so intriguing, and a work in progress. It became more intriguing and interesting with every passing year and it’s a tragedy that Shane died so young. But the outpouring of grief adds an extra dimension. He’s definitely flawed, but a genius, a rogue and a rascal,” Ryan said.

“Our relationship with him at the time, and now, has ebbed and flowed…we’ve seen the best and worst of ourselves in him. Yeah. At the core, he was a genius cricketer but we don’t want to tell just a story about a genius cricketer. He was also a cultural icon but we don’t just want to tell a story about a cultural icon.”

Ryan says the series will be more of a drama, stating that Warne’s family are being consulted throughout its production.

“I don’t want to make dramas that are just box-ticking biographical factuals. You need perspective,” he said.

“You want to make a show that is greater than the sum of its parts… it has something to say about the nature of a shared experience, the nature of emotion, the nature of characters. I think sometimes you need a little bit of critical distance from somebody’s ongoing life to do that.”

It’s speculated that the miniseries will focus on the King of Spin’s more scandalous life events.

“Which phase of Shane’s life will we foreground? I think it’s fair to say a cradle to the grave biopic is not our style,” Ryan offered.

The news comes just seven weeks after Warne’s death in Thailand on March 4, 2022.