Stan today announced that the Stan Original Film Nugget Is Dead: A Christmas Story, premieres in November.
The debut feature for writers and lead cast Vic Zerbst and Jenna Owen best known for their original sketch comedy work, Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story is an offbeat look at strained familial relationships and reconnecting at a time when everyone is forced to come together.
When her beloved family dog, Nugget, falls sick over Christmas, Steph Stool (Vic Zerbst) must abandon her very elegant holiday plans with her boyfriend’s family, and return instead to her small coastal hometown to confront the chaos of her own… less elegant family. In the week leading up to Christmas, each member of the Stool family must grapple with the mortality of the one thing that unifies them.
When looking for their first long form project to make together, Zerbst and Owen found inspiration for a heartwarming, darkly funny Christmas movie in a real-life experience of Owen’s – the death of her beloved family dog, Zuri, one Christmas in Wollongong, NSW.
Jenna Owen said: “Nugget is Dead is partially a love letter to my family and my upbringing in Wollongong. Like so many of us know… when you make that move from your hometown to the city, you sometimes try to create a slick new version of yourself. This movie is about coming home, to your family, your dog, but also to who you really are.”
The film produced by Easy Tiger and CBS Studios is the debut feature of Zerbst and Owen, best known for their original sketch comedy work amassing over 90 million views online. The film stars Vic Zerbst (The Feed), Jenna Owen (The Feed), Gia Carides (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Damien Garvey (Rake) and Mandy McElhinney (Love Child). The cast also includes Australian favourites, including Steve Rodgers (Stan Original Series Bump), Alec Snow (NCIS: Sydney), Tara Morice (Strictly Ballroom), Priscilla Doueihy (Lioness: Special Ops), Claude Jabbour (The Stan Original Series Eden), Ed Oxenbould (Stan Original Film Christmas Ransom), Diana McLean (North Shore), Lelong Hu (Strife), Tiriel Mora (The Castle), Alexei Toliopoulos (Heartbreak High) and Kerry Armstrong (Frayed).
Following the success of A Sunburnt Christmas, Christmas on the Farm, Christmas Ransom and Jones Family Christmas, the Stan Original Film Nugget Is Dead: A Christmas Story will continue Stan’s tradition of providing Christmas films tailored to Australian audiences.
The Stan Original Film Nugget Is Dead: A Christmas Story is produced by Easy Tiger and CBS Studios with principal production investment from Screen NSW. The film is directed by Imogen McCluskey, written by Vic Zerbst and Jenna Owen, produced by Naomi Just (Stan Original Film Christmas Ransom) and executive produced by Rob Gibson and Ian Collie (Stan Original Series Scrublands). Cailah Scobie and Donna Chang are executive producing for Stan. The film is distributed outside of Australia by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
The Stan Original Film Nugget Is Dead: A Christmas Story premieres November 21, only on Stan.
