Acclaimed film director Scott Hicks has signed a deal to shoot and produce his next feature film in South Australia.

Hicks said the film, The Boys Are Back, would be shot largely in the wine growing area south of Adelaide, with work due to start in September.

Academy Award nominated British actor Clive Owen will take the lead role as journalist Joe Warr.

Hicks said he originally planned to make the film in Queensland but shifted production to South Australia following a $1 million investment from the South Australian government.

“I’m looking forward to showing the splendour of the Fleurieu (peninsula) to the wider world in the context of this powerful and emotional drama,” Hicks said.

The $18 million dollar The Boys Are Back will be Hicks’s first major film shot in Australia for about a decade.

Hicks gained international acclaim for the 1996 film Shine, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, with Hicks receiving nominations for director and screenplay.

Source:The West